Posted on 09/06/2001 6:56:46 PM PDT by rdavis84
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate pushed through a bill Thursday extending the deadline for illegal immigrants to apply for visas. Majority Leader Thomas Daschle had urged lawmakers to finish the measure during Mexican President Vicente Fox's visit.
"This is extremely important," Senate Democratic Whip Harry Reid of Nevada said after the bill passed by voice vote. "With President Fox in the country, it sends a message to him that we really are trying to work toward making things easier in the relationship with the United States and Mexico."
The House passed its own version of the bill in May, but Republicans leaders have agreed to go along with the Senate-passed measure, White House officials said.
President Bush favors the bill. "The president is heartened by the Senate's action, and he looks forward to the House acting quickly to send this legislation to his desk," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Fox heads back to the Capitol one more time Friday morning before ending his three-day state visit.
Daschle told Bush on Tuesday that he would try to get an agreement on the bill while Fox was still in Washington.
"This is significant step toward real immigration reform for immigrants of all nations, and I'm proud that we were able to reach this agreement during President Fox's visit," Daschle, D-S.D., said after the bill passed.
Fox addressed a joint meeting of Congress early Thursday. "This is an appropriate day to take this important step in creating a responsible immigration policy that makes sense for America," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., one of the sponsors of the bill.
Fleischer said Fox and Bush share goals "of making the migration of families and workers between our nations more orderly, humane, legal and safe."
"The president commends the Senate for passage of legislation that will help unite families and make America more welcoming of new immigrants," Fleischer said. "Allowing qualified immigrants to become lawful residents of the United States without first being forced to leave the country and their families is the right thing to do."
The bill passed by the Senate wants would extend the deadline for illegal immigrants to apply for visas by an extra year. A House bill passed in May only extends the deadline for illegal immigrants to apply for visas by four months.
The White House has said Bush favors a longer period of time than the four months.
About 640,000 illegal immigrants were eligible under the Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act to apply for visas without leaving the country, but it expired April 30. The Senate bill would extend the law until April 30, 2002.
The law applied to illegal immigrants who can prove they are spouses or relatives of U.S. citizens, legal residents or employees sponsored by employers before Aug. 15. They had to have been in the country on Dec. 21, 2000, to be eligible.
"The Family Reunification Measure will allow hundreds of thousands of immigrant families to stay together as they work through the citizenship process," Daschle said.
As a current Immigration Inspector, I would like to inform everyone about what is going on in INS.
On the amnesty issue, IT WILL HAPPEN.
Currently the administration is working on a NAFTA visa. This visa will be available to all illegals currently in the US and anyone from a NAFTA country. It will allow low wage workers into the US. Once in the US, these workers can asjust status and become resident aliens, which leads to citizenship.
Amnesty by any other name is still amnesty.
I smell a rat here. Setup?
They're too busy passing new laws to destroy the U.S. And we're paying them for doing it.
Good point!!
Nothing is unbelievable anymore. The unreal becomes real with this bunch we have in Washington.
This is significant step toward real immigration reform FOR immigrants of all nations (THIS IS INDEED THE STEP TOWARDS REAL SOMETHING, BUT NOT REFORM )
extend the deadline for illegal immigrants to apply for visas by an extra YEAR (THESE PEOPLE ARE HERE ILLEGALLY. IN SPITE OF THEM BREAKING THE LAW THEY ARE ALLOWED TO APPLY FOR CITIZENSHIP. BUT STILL THEY HANG AROUND. SO, WE EXTEND THE TIME FOR THEM TO CONSIDER WHETHER BEING REWARDED WITH US CITIZENSHIP IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM?????????
Allowing qualified immigrants to BECOME??? lawful residents of the United States without first being forced (WOULDN'T WANT TO FORCE THE POOR PEOPLE) to leave the country and their FAMILIES (MORE ILLEGALS ?) is the right thing to do." (THIS IS NOT MY DEFINITION OF RIGHT)
Exactly!! A few today under one name - a few more tomorrow under another name. I told ya we were going to get this shoved down our throats.
Where is my 2004 ballot?
For the next 12 months the United States will see an increase in marriage and the INS will have to deal with mass marriage fruad.
During the four months, Janurary 2001 through April 2001, this program was in effect, marriages incressed significantly in the US.
As I recall, in Arizona, the courts had trouble keeping up with all the Justice of the Peace marriages in April.
Since they are allowed to apply for visas already, I don't see what the big deal is with the deadline being extended.
Of course if one opposes illegal immigrants having the right to apply for visas at all,in the first place, then they have a lot more to get bent out of shape over than today's Senate action.
A few here:
What is the status with bonafide terrorist infiltration? Any overt evidence of it, seized arms caches or destructive devices, etc? Precursor chemicals of WMD? biological "samples"? Things of that nature. No details to get you into trouble, just any vague assertions or debunking would be nice.
What is the true status of the mexican border vis a vis paramilitary shootouts, infiltration, etc.? I have heard conflicting reports of even chicoms coming in with the coyotes or smugglers sometimes. This has long been a serious unknown but potential that I think has merit for discussion.
Containerized shipping, in particular cosco, any more reports of the containers found being rigged as mobile stealth living quarters for infiltration?
There's a few, feel free to expound on these or any others that you might choose to, I'm sure many readers would be interested. thanks in advance!
This has been going on for years but on a small scale. Marriage, anchor babies - is there no end to their sleezy act?
The deadline had expired. If you recall, this provision was pushed through by Clinton right before the election.
Illegal immigrants are not alowed to apply for visa's while in the US. This bill, will extend Section 245i of the Immigation and Nationality Act.
That section of INA, allowed illegal immigrants to stay in US, while United States Citizens, Permanent Residents or Employers sponsor their application for residency.
Section 245i was repealed in the mid to late 90's.
Tis bill extends CLintons bill to reopen Section 245i for 1 year.
Normaly these aliens would have to wait in their home countries while their application was proccessed.
It is like a left hook just caught me off guard and knocked me on my arse. I feel the need to conform and an almost uncontrollable urge to BaaaaaaBaaaaaaaaaBaaaaaaa, oh crap this can't Bheeeeehappening to meeeeee!
Q: What is the status with bonafide terrorist infiltration? Any overt evidence of it, seized arms caches or destructive devices, etc? Precursor chemicals of WMD? biological "samples"? Things of that nature. No details to get you into trouble, just any vague assertions or debunking would be nice.
A: Not much I can say about this one. If the State Department or INS believes anyone is affiliated with any terrorist organization, we can refuse entry, but with the FBI, CIA or NSA involved, we may allow entry once a surveillance team is in place. I personally have never come across this.
Q: What is the true status of the Mexican border vis a vis paramilitary shoot-outs, infiltration, etc.? I have heard conflicting reports of even chicoms coming in with the coyotes or smugglers sometimes. This has long been a serious unknown but potential that I think has merit for discussion.
A: I've been working for INS since 1997, and spent 1998 and 1999 on the southwest border. In that two years I know of 1 incident, were a Customs Patrol Officer encountered and was shot at by the Mexican Military in the United States. The officer in question stated that he witnessed Mexican military vehicles escorting, what appeared to be a drug load, into the US. At the time, the vehicles were approximately 2 to 3 hundred yards inside the US. The Customs Officer stated that shots were fired in his direction from the military vehicles. It was front page news for one day in Tucson, AZ. The next day, the report stated that Customs Officer, who had 14 years of service, was mistake about the location of the vehicles and that the Mexican Military were chasing the drug load, shooting at the drug smugglers. After that, nothing, not a peep from anyone involved. Umm.
On a separate occasion, at the station I was working, A Resident Alien entered the US driving his vehicle at a high rate of speed. When stopped at the Inspection Station by US Customs, he said he was being chased. Moments later a Mexican Military pickup entered the US and stopped about 100 yards inside the US border. An officer stepped out, placed his hand on his holster, and demanded that the Customs Officers turn over the driver of the first vehicle. As the officer stepped out, several personnel from inside the bed of the truck jumped out also, each with an M-16. At this time, an Immigration Officer stepped out of the office, hand on holster, and demanded that the Mexicans returned to Mexico. Lucky for everyone they did. I was not working that day, but watched the video in the Customs office, the day after it happened. Under US law, both of these incidents are acts of war. But hay, it was just a big misunderstanding.
That's it for now, I'll be doing more of this in the future. My brother showed me this site a couple of days ago, and I love it.
Seems like it wouldn't hurt ;-)
This is so pathetic I could just scream!
Didn't work.
What really gets me is this blanket amnesty they're pushing will give rights to all kinds of illegals, even those who aren't really working at all, and who are committing crimes. If there were a need to allow certain hard-working types permission to stay, it should be done on a one-by-one basis, we know many of the 3-8 million or more have broken other laws too. This just happened the other day:
A West Side woman was beaten with a rock and a portion of her scalp was detached when she was dragged across the parking lot outside her art studio in Sunland Park, police said Tuesday.
Lisa Miller was in stable condition Tuesday night at Thomason Hospital.
Her alleged attacker, Jorge Ernesto Gomez, a Mexican national, is in Doña Ana County Detention Center charged with two counts of aggravated battery, Sunland Park Police Chief Charles Anderson said.
With massive amnesty, like the last one, they will not be checking backgrounds or anything at all, many criminals will be given full rights in the US.
Perhaps they just don't share your obsession with this issue and after weeks of hearing the same henny penny "the sky is falling" hysteria over illegal immigrants..are just tired of it.
I think the illegal immigrant alarm is fading into background noise along with global warming, arsenic in the water and Gary Condit.
And Bush is looking better everyday!
Speaking of Driving............. don't forget the trucking moves jr. is hot for.
What's your perspective?
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.