Republicans in Washington have really let this country down now. They can call this an immigration reform bill all they want, what it really is is AMNESTY. Hey you broke our laws now were going to give you a free pass!
Senators, White House Reach Agreement on Immigration
Read what Michelle Malkin has to say .
Fox news reports
Thursday, May 17, 2007
May 17: Sen. Edward Kennedy, and from left, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Sen. Johnny Isakson announce immigration deal.
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of Senate lawmakers and the White House struck an immigration reform deal Thursday that would grant legal status to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in the United States and increase border and interior enforcement initiatives.
The plan would establish a temporary worker program for new arrivals to the United States with a separate program for agricultural workers. The bill also would include provisions for new technology to ensure against immigration document fraud.
Supporters of the arrangement urged their congressional colleagues and the American public to support the bill as a whole even though strong objection may be felt toward its individual parts.
"All of you know that in the legislative process, no one gets 100 percent of what they want, if you're going to get something done," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. said, speaking to reporters shortly after the deal was announced.
"From my perspective, it's not perfect, but it represents the best opportunity that we have in a bipartisan way to do something about this problem. And if we had not gotten together as Republicans and Democrats to develop this bipartisan consensus, we can be assured that there would not be a bill passed this year, and probably not next year," Kyl said.
Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., who is credited with being the driving force behind the negotiations, said differences aside, "I believe we owe it to the American people to stop talking about immigration and start acting."
The dealmakers, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a 2008 White House hopeful, stressed that their bill would offer strong border enforcement and interior enforcement and send a signal to U.S. employers "that the practice of hiring illegal workers will no longer be tolerated."
The compromise came after weeks of painstaking closed-door negotiations that brought the most liberal Democrats and the most conservative Republicans together with President Bush's Cabinet officials to produce a highly complex measure that could carry heavy political consequences.
The White House was clearly on board with the plan.
"I congratulate members of the Senate, both political parties, who decided it was time to work together to come up with a comprehensive immigration bill that addresses a major problem facing our country," President Bush said Thursday afternoon from the South Lawn of the White House.
"Immigration is a tough issue for a lot of Americans. The agreement reached today is one that will help enforce our borders, but equally importantly, it will treat people with respect. This is a bill where people who live here in our country will be treated without amnesty, but without animosity," Bush said.
Bush said he hoped the Senate and House would both fall in line and agree on a bill reflecting the plan, adding, "I really am anxious to sign a comprehensive immigration bill as soon as I possibly can. Today we took a good step toward that direction."
And speaking earlier, alongside senator on Capitol Hill, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said, "This is a bill that is strong on the border, tough on enforcement of the interior, fair with respect to those to those who are here, and realistic. It is an honest solution to a problem that has bedeviled this country for decades."
But as the senators alluded to harsh criticism facing the bill, even before it was presented in its entirety, other lawmakers began expressed their dismay with the plan.
"This plan rewards the lawbreakers and punishes those who have patiently waited their turn to become an American citizen. I will work tirelessly to make sure that this proposal does not pass the House of Representatives," Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, said in a prepared statement.
The draft bill "gives a path out of the shadows and toward legal status for those who are currently here" illegally, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. She said opponents should not let "the perfect be the enemy of the good."
The Senate is expected to take up the legislation next week. The proposed agreement is several-hundred pages and contains a wide array of provisions to satisfy partisan concerns.
The plan would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a "Z visa" and — after paying fees and a $5,000 fine — ultimately get on track for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. Heads of household would have to return to their home countries first.
Heads of household could come forward right away to claim a probationary card that would let them live and work legally in the U.S., but could not begin the path to permanent residency or citizenship until border security improvements and the high-tech worker identification program were completed.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., declared that the bill "is not amnesty. This will restore the rule of law."
"When the objections are raised as to amnesty, the question is returned, what more can be done with these 12 million undocumented immigrants? What more hurdles can be placed to be sure that we do the maximum to avoid the charge of amnesty? And we are still open for suggestions. But the consequences of not moving to a solution on this issue is we have anarchy. We have uncontrolled borders," Specter said.
Workers would have to return home after job stints of two years, with little opportunity to gain permanent legal status or ever become U.S. citizens. They could renew their guest worker visas twice, but would be required to leave for a year in between each time.
Democrats had pressed instead for guest workers to be permitted to stay and work indefinitely in the U.S.
In perhaps the most hotly debated turn, the proposed plan would shift from an immigration system primarily weighted toward family ties toward a "point system" that prioritizes preferences for people with advanced degrees and sophisticated skills. Republicans have long sought such revisions, which they say are needed to end "chain migration" that harms the economy, while some Democrats and liberal groups say it's an unfair system that rips families apart.
Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card — except for spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens. New limits would apply to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Showing posts with label Immigration reform. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Immigration reform. Show all posts
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Immigration deal could become reality.
It's possible that an immigration reform law could pass the senate as early as today. So far the plan sounds ok, allow guest worker programs but ensure that the workers return home after their permit expires, allow a path to citizenship that requires illegals to return home first, and limit the number of green cards given each year to 10,000. If this bill gets passed it will still be unenforceable until we strengthen our boarders.
Bipartisan Deal On Immigration Is Near, Would Strictly Limit Future Arrivals
WASHINGTON, May 16, 2007 - Republicans and Democrats were nearing a deal Tuesday on a sweeping immigration overhaul that would give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at legal status but strictly limit future arrivals from staying in the U.S.
Senators and White House officials negotiating through the afternoon and into the evening said an elusive compromise was in sight. With details changing rapidly, it was unclear whether the talks would result in a breakthrough or a meltdown.
"Eighty-twenty!" said an upbeat Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the key players in the talks, giving strong odds of a deal he said could be announced as early as Wednesday.
In a hopeful sign for a potential deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., postponed until Monday a vote that had been scheduled for Wednesday on bringing up an immigration measure that passed the Senate last year.
That bill had the support of most Democrats but was opposed by a majority of Republicans, who had promised to block it. The vote - designed to pressure negotiators into reaching a new deal - was shaping up as a highly partisan start to the already intense debate over immigration.
Delaying it gave the weeks-long set of closed-door bipartisan talks - slated to continue early Wednesday - more time.
Negotiators led by conservative Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and liberal Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., were scrambling to piece together a compromise that could command broad support, melding the GOP's preference for get-tough enforcement measures and limits on future immigration with Democrats' desire for a more welcoming approach.
The proposed agreement would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a probationary "Z visa" and - after paying fees and fines of up to $5,000 and returning to their home countries - ultimately try for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. The process couldn't begin until border security improvements and a high-tech worker identification program were completed.
A new temporary guest worker program would also have to wait until those so-called "triggers" had been activated. And all but the highest-skilled temporary workers would have to return home after work stints of two or three years, with barely any opportunity to apply for permanent legal status or ever become U.S. citizens.
Only 10,000 green cards annually would be available for guest workers, and they would be awarded on a so-called "points system" that favors higher-skilled and better-educated immigrants.
"We're trying to make sure that people who are temporary workers don't melt into society and put down roots. Temporary means temporary," Graham said.
Negotiators were still weighing the particulars of the guest worker program, including the length of the visas and whether to allow workers to renew them multiple times.
In perhaps its most contentious change, the proposed plan would radically shift the entire immigration system from one heavily weighted toward family ties toward one with preferences for those with advanced degrees and sophisticated skills. Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card, although senators were still haggling over how heavily points for family ties would be weighed.
U.S. citizens would see their ability to bring foreign-born parents to the U.S. limited. Temporary workers could not bring family members at all unless they accepted a shorter-term visa and could show they would not become primarily dependent on government benefits.
Behind the scenes, some Democrats and liberal groups are deeply divided over whether the proposal is worth supporting. Leading Republicans, too, warned that they were wary of being pushed too far in the interests of a compromise.
"We need to have immigration reform, but not just any immigration reform," said Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., the party whip. "We're not going to be forced into passing a bad bill."
Copyright © 2007 KABC-TV and The Associated Press (AP). All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Bipartisan Deal On Immigration Is Near, Would Strictly Limit Future Arrivals
WASHINGTON, May 16, 2007 - Republicans and Democrats were nearing a deal Tuesday on a sweeping immigration overhaul that would give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at legal status but strictly limit future arrivals from staying in the U.S.
Senators and White House officials negotiating through the afternoon and into the evening said an elusive compromise was in sight. With details changing rapidly, it was unclear whether the talks would result in a breakthrough or a meltdown.
"Eighty-twenty!" said an upbeat Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the key players in the talks, giving strong odds of a deal he said could be announced as early as Wednesday.
In a hopeful sign for a potential deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., postponed until Monday a vote that had been scheduled for Wednesday on bringing up an immigration measure that passed the Senate last year.
That bill had the support of most Democrats but was opposed by a majority of Republicans, who had promised to block it. The vote - designed to pressure negotiators into reaching a new deal - was shaping up as a highly partisan start to the already intense debate over immigration.
Delaying it gave the weeks-long set of closed-door bipartisan talks - slated to continue early Wednesday - more time.
Negotiators led by conservative Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and liberal Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., were scrambling to piece together a compromise that could command broad support, melding the GOP's preference for get-tough enforcement measures and limits on future immigration with Democrats' desire for a more welcoming approach.
The proposed agreement would allow illegal immigrants to come forward and obtain a probationary "Z visa" and - after paying fees and fines of up to $5,000 and returning to their home countries - ultimately try for permanent residency, which could take between eight and 13 years. The process couldn't begin until border security improvements and a high-tech worker identification program were completed.
A new temporary guest worker program would also have to wait until those so-called "triggers" had been activated. And all but the highest-skilled temporary workers would have to return home after work stints of two or three years, with barely any opportunity to apply for permanent legal status or ever become U.S. citizens.
Only 10,000 green cards annually would be available for guest workers, and they would be awarded on a so-called "points system" that favors higher-skilled and better-educated immigrants.
"We're trying to make sure that people who are temporary workers don't melt into society and put down roots. Temporary means temporary," Graham said.
Negotiators were still weighing the particulars of the guest worker program, including the length of the visas and whether to allow workers to renew them multiple times.
In perhaps its most contentious change, the proposed plan would radically shift the entire immigration system from one heavily weighted toward family ties toward one with preferences for those with advanced degrees and sophisticated skills. Family connections alone would no longer be enough to qualify for a green card, although senators were still haggling over how heavily points for family ties would be weighed.
U.S. citizens would see their ability to bring foreign-born parents to the U.S. limited. Temporary workers could not bring family members at all unless they accepted a shorter-term visa and could show they would not become primarily dependent on government benefits.
Behind the scenes, some Democrats and liberal groups are deeply divided over whether the proposal is worth supporting. Leading Republicans, too, warned that they were wary of being pushed too far in the interests of a compromise.
"We need to have immigration reform, but not just any immigration reform," said Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., the party whip. "We're not going to be forced into passing a bad bill."
Copyright © 2007 KABC-TV and The Associated Press (AP). All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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