Posted on 11/27/2012 6:51:20 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Via the Daily Caller. It speaks volumes of the politics of this that two of the three senators who are sponsoring it are retiring next month and the other, McCain, just won reelection two years ago and will be 80 when he decides whether to run again. No one here, in other words, is worried about a primary.
The key difference between DREAM and ACHIEVE is citizenship, but in the end it’s not much of a difference:
The DREAM Act offers applicants temporary residency for a six-year period after completing two years of college or two years in the military. Within this period undocumented immigrants may then qualify for permanent residency, and as a permanent residents can later try the path to citizenship.
As for the Achieve Act, it offers three different visas: the first, good for up to six years, for students; the second, a work visa good for four years, and the third is a permanent nonimmigrant visa that would have to be renewed every five years. Those who fall under the Achieve Act and are interested in U.S. citizenship would have to apply for a green card and go through the same procedures as other immigrants.
So DREAM creates a special path to citizenship and makes that path relatively short. ACHIEVE doesn’t create a special path and takes longer, but if you follow the steps and land a renewable W-3 work visa under the act, then…
No new green cards are added in the Act, but a W-3 visa recipient could take advantage of opportunities in current law to obtain one; for example, if a W-3 visa holder were to marry a U.S. citizen, that alien, already in W-3 status and now married to a U.S. citizen, would be eligible for a green card (legal permanent resident status). Citizenship could follow after the requisite number of years required in green card status (and processing usually takes around a year after that).
Kyl was candid about that in today’s presser; click here and skip to 6:15 for the key bit. Since most of the kids who qualify for the W-3 under ACHIEVE will remain in the U.S. and marry American citizens, they’ll end up with a path to citizenship anyway. It’ll just be a path already blazed by current law, not something novel and expedited cooked up by Democrats so that they can bank Latino votes as quickly as possible. Which explains why you’re already seeing reactions like this:
“Today’s Kyl/Hutchinson presser makes it clear that #ACHIEVE is no #DREAM Act. No path to citizenship, only second-class legal status,” tweeted immigration policy analyst Phil Wolgin.
That’s what Kyl and Hutchison get for trying to wear down Republican resistance to a limited amnesty. And there’ll be plenty more where that came from. There are many ways to challenge the basic precepts of ACHIEVE — a few weeks ago Mark Krikorian argued that it simultaneously did too much and too little — but the main liberal line of attack will be that it’s “cruel” to deny these kids their God-given right to elect Democrats by delaying their legal path to full citizenship. If Reid agrees to take this up next year, presumably it’ll only be because he thinks he can get McCain and Rubio and whoever else to bend a little on the citizenship point. But like I said when I wrote about this last time, I don’t understand why he’d agree to take this up when he could try to leverage Republican panic over electoral demographics and push for full comprehensive immigration reform instead. ACHIEVE is basically the GOP’s attempt to buy goodwill from Latino voters by passing the most limited amnesty possible for the most sympathetic illegal immigrant class. Reid would be a sucker to let them do that on the cheap. Demand comprehensive reform and some sort of path to citizenship, however elongated, as part of it, then after it passes immediately begin accusing all of the Republicans who just voted for it of hating illegals because they wouldn’t agree to citizenship on a faster track. The Democrats don’t care about work visas; they care about votes, and voting requires citizenship. The two least surprising sentences published in political media today, via National Journal: “Democrats are rejecting such an idea [ACHIEVE] for now, arguing that the concept would create an underclass of people in the United States if they don’t have full voting rights. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid is hoping for a broader bill that would address the 12 million illegal immigrants in the country.”
Here’s video from the Caller. Kyl seems oddly taken with the procedural angle, that they’re doing things by the book constitutionally by trying to codify ACHIEVE instead of imposing the policy via executive fiat, as Obama did several months ago. So O exceeded his constitutional power by handing down this new rule, and now his punishment will be that … Congress will just enact his preferred policy for him anyway, with GOP help? (Kyl himself described ACHIEVE at today’s presser as being “not dissimilar” from Obama’s DREAM rule.) Go easy on the guy, Jon.
How about no access to public assistance or transfer payments of any kind?
Excuse me, but weren’t those two RINO’s just replaced. Their final kick at conservatives on their way to cash their first pension cheque?
Reminds me of two years ago. The traitorous John Ensign (R, Nevada) was departing during his lame-duck session, and he was part of the Republican cabal that voted FOR the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell."
With *friends* like these, who needs enemies?
All my life I worked hard and believed in the American dream of life liberty and happines in a place where my children vould live and prosper.
I had a belief that my government was looking out for our best interests.
All this is gone. Lie cheat and steal is the new agenda and both parties have taken to an art form
Works for me. We can call it the DREAM ON Act. :)
Personally I'm wondering if the best solution wouldnt be sending the public assistance currently being received by illegals in the form of a monthly check to their address in their country of origin. We can even mail them a bogus ballots every November so they can feel like they're still participating in our Great Experiment.
It would still cost us but at least that would take care of the anchor baby/crime rate/drunken driving part of the problem.
When is the treatment of American citizens in Mexico and their rights vs US treatment of Mexicans going to be an issue when we discuss amnesty ?
Ever hear of reciprocal aggrements ? These are arranged to protect the rights of American citizens working or living in other countries.
Why is it when it comes to citizens of other countries we are required to offer them the same privledges as we do to US citizens? But when it comes to US citizens who get in trouble or attempt to do business in other countries they do not get the same treatment their citizens get.
Americans can’t own coast land in Mexico. And get no title to it elsewhere. If they run out of cash they’ll get unceremoniously sent back or put in jail untill some relative comes up with the “fresh”. That’s just for starters as for granting them voting privledges yea let’s give Mexican citizens that right when American citizens vote in their elections .
Gee, the GOP never learn from history.
How about deporting foreign nationals back to the country they belong to?
They aren’t American citizens anymore than you’d be a Mexican citizen if you simply planted yourself in Mexico. Give that a try sometime.
How come the GOP never advocates enforcing the law?
I know why Democrats subvert the law. Why does the GOP do it?
Even when the latinos really liked our candidate, we only got 4 out of 10 latino votes. So, for every 10 illegal latinos we agree to give amnesty to, the Dems will probably gain at least 2 more votes than we gain. It’s a losing proposition, we’re much better off blocking any amnesty and denying any of those votes to either party than handing the Dems the lion’s share and fighting for the leftover scraps.
Sneaky move both retired gone next year
That's because Dem operatives were running the polling locations.
BS
this is slow motion amnesty.
It does NOTHING to prevent serial immigration.
It does NOTHING to prevent visa via publik skool.
The law, via the courts, has already ruled 100% ENTITLEMENT to public assistance.
This is stupid party in action.
Folks we can’t just take over the republican party, we have to dominate and crush the MSM. (remove PBS tax exempt status, crush advertisers who support msnbc as an example to others.)
Achieve Amnesty
Amnesty Achievement
just plain BS. Deck chairs on the titanic.
The only person who flipped was Rand Paul. Lindsey Graham has always wanted green taxes and amnesty. Texas and Arizona has had RINO senators until Cruz came along. Joe Donnelly from the Democrats opposed amnesty and wanted Everify.
Rand Paul has some delusion that he is going to win California and Massachusetts in 206 by cutting government programs and amnesty. Rand Paul is 5’8. He’s shorter than Jimmy Carter. Americans wont elect someone that short. He will get slammed on his lack of empathy on the upper Big Branch Mine Disaster. He wont win the south, Texas, California or Indiana primaries with Amnesty.
Donald Trump told O’Reilly when he was “running” he was going to go case by case with illegals and see which ones contribute or not. This was already a warning sign.
Chris Christie hesitated in letting NJ cops catch violent illegals. The Newark Massacre occurred with young blacks murdered by Alien rapists.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.