Immigration Bill DOA?
March 29, 2006, 4:32 pm |
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By Andrew L. Jaffee
Because of arguments over President Bush’s idea of “a guest-worker program” — basically an amnesty for illegal aliens — the immigration bill now before the Senate may be dead on arrival. All the more reason to continue the push for true immigration reform. From The Mercury News:
The Senate may well deadlock with the House of Representatives because their positions differ so radically and the issue is too politically hot in this congressional election year for lawmakers on either side to compromise. That could doom all legislation to overhaul immigration this year.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-6 Monday to advance a comprehensive measure that would put millions of illegal immigrants on track to permanent legal status and allow up to 400,000 foreign workers each year to fill low-skilled jobs.
[Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) spokesperson] Egan said opponents of the measure put their hopes in the 435-member House, where a coalition of conservative Republicans has vowed to kill immigration legislation that includes a guest worker plan. The 94-member coalition blocked inclusion of a guest worker program in the immigration bill the House passed in December.
The House bill also makes illegal immigration a felony and calls for 700 miles of fences along the Southwest border.
“If the Senate follows the Judiciary Committee’s lead, the prospects of getting a reform bill to the president’s desk this year are slim, to say the least,” said Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, coalition leader. “No plan with amnesty and a massive increase in foreign workers will pass the House.”
Thank G#d for the House. We’re way past the point of granting amnesty to illegals — about 12 million (illegal immigrants) past that point. Assimilation takes time. When does the U.S. become unmanageable? When the population reaches 400, 500, 600 million? How do we educate immigrants at the current, rapid pace of influx?
Write to your senators now. Tell them to support legislation that would:
- make it a felony to enter the United States illegally;
- deport illegal immigrants;
- impose greater penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants;
- tighten security by increasing the number of qualified personnel patrolling our borders;
- erect fences along the U.S.-Mexican border; and,
- toss out the notions of “amnesty” and “guest worker” permits for illegal immigrants.
Note that I fully support legal immigration. My grandparents on both my mother and father’s sides immigrated to the U.S., but did so legally.
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Categories, Tags: United States, Society, Immigration
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