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Posted on 03/15/2006 10:36:59 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The Senate committee delegated to come up with immigration reform legislation proceeded at a glacial pace Wednesday, with senators still far apart on such issues as a guest worker program and a policy toward the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally.
"We are quite a ways from having a bill," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., as the panel waded through a host of amendments on how to improve border enforcement.
Even with farmers and businesses depending on illegal immigrants to fill low-wage jobs and President Bush in support of a temporary worker program, advocates of such a program have been unable to overcome the opposition of those who are deadset against any proposal that in an election year could be labeled "amnesty."
The Senate Judiciary Committee had given itself a Thursday deadline to produce a bill that would tighten U.S. borders, impose new sanctions on illegal immigrants and their employers, and give legal status to some workers now here illegally.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has promised a vote on some kind of temporary "guest worker" program after Congress returns March 27 from a weeklong recess, but not necessarily one that includes illegal immigrants, as advocated by Bush.
Democrats on the Judiciary Committee wrote Frist to ask him to reconsider, saying "arbitrary deadlines and half-finished proposals serve neither the Senate nor the country well."
Republicans with reservations about a guest worker program also urged the Senate to go slow on what could be the most important bill that Congress deals with this year. "Nobody in the country trusts us on this issue right now because we have not demonstrated the integrity to control our borders," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.
Bush has proposed a temporary worker program, allowing participants to register for legal status for a specific period of time and then be required to return home. It would not provide amnesty, which the administration says it would reject in any proposal, and also would not be an automatic path to citizenship.
"So far there's a desire to do guest worker, but the real desire is to make sure the borders are secure first," Specter said Tuesday.
Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., whose state shares a 180-mile border with Mexico, said the chances of getting a comprehensive bill through the Senate are slim. Lawmakers, he said, "have gone absolutely wild" confusing border violence with 9 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country.
"Without sufficient thinking, we're applying to them the anger and opposition that comes to the border activities," Domenici said. "These people, some of them have lived here 30 years, 20 years, 10 years. They are not gangsters and robbers."
Judiciary Committee member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said a temporary worker program may be an issue for another time.
"We should do a good enforcement bill and leave the administration to execute it, then in the meantime, talk seriously about what we want to do about the future," Sessions said.
However, there still is a lot of sentiment among other committee members to allow some illegal immigrants to remain in the United States, if only temporarily.
A bill drafted by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., gives illegal immigrants up to five years to leave the country. But they would have to leave and apply from their home country to return, either as temporary workers or for permanent residency.
Specter would allow illegal immigrants with jobs to get worker permits and get in line for legal residency without having to leave the country. Critics say actually acquiring legal residency under that approach could take decades.
Two other committee members — Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. — are pushing a business-backed proposal that would allow illegal immigrants to work for six years and then apply for permanent residency without having to leave the U.S.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., who supports the McCain-Kennedy approach, argued that lawmakers can't ignore the 11 million undocumented workers in the country.
"Amnesty to me is not what we are talking about," Graham said. "If I had to pay a $2,000 fine and wait 11 years before I could apply for citizenship I wouldn't think I'd been given amnesty."
Americans are just as divided on immigration.
A Time poll in January found that 73 percent of Americans favor a guest worker program for illegal immigrants, but 46 percent said they should have to return first to their native country and apply for it. About 50 percent favored deporting all illegal immigrants.
The House has already passed a tough immigration enforcement bill without any kind of guest worker program, defying threats from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its allies.
"Guest worker" is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. When I have guests, they do not work!
Absolutely. And yet, I was told that there was no one working on an immigration bill because it was not a big deal to the American public. I see I was told wrong.
Now, will this bill be all things to all people, probably not, but it is a start and belive me when I say it is going to be a hot political issue in the upcoming elections.
Additionally, "guests" eventually go home.
I wish they would get the issues they do agree on passed then add amendments later if they need like just getting the borders sealed as the first step.
It needs a clause specifically prohibiting any future amnesty.
Why does the US need guest workers when we already have millions of people out of work, many being supported by welfare?
To take just a small instance, don't any of those refugees from NOLA who lost their homes and jobs want work?
The unemployment figures are not reliable, because they eliminate anyone who has been jobless for more than a period of months and is not actively in the job market.
Senators Coburn and Sessions have it right.
A guest worker program is the worst policy ever proposed in Congress! If you vote for this program three things are going to happen: (1) Our borders are going to be swarmed over by illegals and our hospitals and social services will overwhelmed; (2) Our national security will be weakened during a time of war against terrorism; and (3) A HUGE taxpayer revolt will occur and you will be ridden out of D.C. on a rail, right after you have been voted out of office, tarred and feathered.
This is the only responsible solution at this time.
Until better enforcement is exercised, no one is willing to consider amnesty or a "Guest worker program". They haven't earned the right to such a proposal yet. Though I would accept cleaning up the application for VISA's and citizenship. It's entirely too convoluted as it is.
However, I really favor Congress just staying away from the issue. They'll screw it up. I'd rather individual states pressured by their peoples force action. More likely to get it right with in state politicians held to account, then hope to influence D.C. politicians to do what is right.
I wish they would stop all federal payment to hospitals and hospitals would quit accepting none guaranteed payees for medical care. This alone would save taxpayers and eliminate probably half the problem then would probably convince most of them to go home.
Naturally, there's no teeth in the bill that will enforce this provision, but I hardly think that this is an oversight on the part of the bill's authors.
Dane, You're a big fan of this bill, so perhaps you can answer this question:
What will be done to enforce this proposed law when these Mexican illegal aliens refuse to go home after the five-year grace period has expired.
Ping!
Ah, ahh, ahhh...Bullsh^t! Pardon me, blatent lying makes me sneeze. Check out the results from one Representative's ongoing query
Tancredo: I keep asking every senator I happen to come across: "How many people do you have writing you, calling you, faxing you, emailing you, demanding a guest-worker/amnesty program, especially legal residents of the country?"
Human Events Editor: What do they say?
Tancredo: Well, none. Nobody has anybody. That’s not the issue and everybody knows it.
Did you forget to include a sarcasm tag or are you serious?
Are you one of the ones that argues that a gun registry will reduce crime?
Do you really think that the really bad actors are going to register or that the rubber stamp background checks that will be done on 12 million by the totally overwhelmed and incompetent Immigration and Naturalization Service would detect them if they did? They can't handle their current workload of about 1 million legal immigrants per year. The worst of the illegals will either remain in the shadows or lie through their teeth.
One of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers was a beneficiary of one of the agricultural guest worker amnesties.
The sad part about it is the president and all the congressmen pretending to debate it know it's a sham. Their false debate is a signal to Vicente's citizens that they can start forming base camps on the border in preparation for the invasion.Our sell-out politicians know that when the three year invaders permits expire we won't kick them out. They'll run before the cameras telling stories about how their anchors were born here and how grandpa is buried here. They will never leave! Bush should be cursed for putting the welfare of Vicente's citizens before his own. When this is forced on the American people do we at least get to annex Mexico?
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., who supports the McCain-Kennedy approach, argued that lawmakers can't ignore the 11 million undocumented workers in the country.
Amazing that most of these people are soooooooo confused over what to do with the illegals already here. If they actually listened to the voters that put them in office they would know that the majority of Americans want illegals.............booted out of the country!
idiots, every single one of them
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