Senators strike deal on immigration overhaul Thu May 17, 2007 3:54PM EDT By Donna Smith
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leading U.S. senators reached an agreement on Thursday on an immigration overhaul that would fortify U.S. borders and grant lawful status to millions of illegal immigrants, a move that could lead to a major legislative victory for President George W. Bush.
The agreement sets the stage for what is expected to be a passionate Senate debate over the proposal, which would give an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants legal status, create a temporary worker program and establish a new merit-based system for future immigrants.
"The agreement we've just reached is the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders, bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat who helped lead the bipartisan talks that included Sen. Jon Kyl and administration officials.
Kyl, an Arizona Republican, said at news conference with Kennedy and other negotiators: "From my perspective it's not perfect. But it represents the best possible opportunity in a bipartisan way to do something about this problem."
Immigration is a complex, hot-button issue that has divided U.S. political parties in a way that has made it difficult to pass reform legislation. Hundreds of thousands of Latinos and other immigrants rallied as recently as May 1 to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants.
But Republicans oppose amnesty and successfully blocked consideration of comprehensive immigration legislation last year in the U.S. House of Representatives, saying it would have rewarded people who broke U.S. laws.
The bipartisan compromise will put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship after a probationary period and they would have to pay stiffer fines than called for in last year's bill.
The senators reached agreement after marathon talks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, has set aside next week for the Senate to debate the legislation and several amendments are expected. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take up its own version of immigration reform later this year.
BUSH SUPPORT
Bush embraced the Senate breakthrough.
"I really am anxious to sign a comprehensive immigration bill as soon as we possibly can. Today we took a good step in that direction," he said.
"This proposal delivers an immigration system that is secure, productive, orderly and fair," Bush said earlier in a statement.
But some Democratic senators who were not involved in the talks were less enthusiastic.
"I think there are a lot of Democrats who want to see it improved," Sen. Charles Schumer of New York told reporters.
The legislation would create a temporary worker program that would allow workers from Mexico and other countries to work for two years and then require them to go home before they could return. Some 400,000 visas would be issued per year under the program.
A temporary worker would be allowed three two-year work periods, but their time in the United States would help them earn points toward seeking permanent status. Kennedy said the worker program includes strong labor protections.
The bill would also put in place a verification program that eventually will apply to all workers in the United States.
The legislation also includes tough border security and workplace enforcement measures that would have to be in effect before the temporary worker program is allowed to go forward.
The proposal would limit family-based migration to immediate family members and establish a merit-based system by which future migrants could earn points for skills, education, understanding of English and family ties. Kennedy said the merit system would include low-skilled workers needed in the United States as well as highly skilled workers.
It was unclear if immigrant groups would embrace the proposal, but at least one group called it a reasonable compromise.
"We have been working so hard to reach some kind of middle ground. It's not the one that we would wish for, but it is one that will work. It is something that will be practical and feasible," Elias Bermudez, director of the Immigrants Without Borders activist group in Phoenix, said of the bill.
(Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan in Washington and Tim Gaynor in Phoenix)
Full Version: Estimated 12 million illegal immigrants legal status
One, and only one, way Democrats should do this...
first, secure the border with a fence and Border Patrol...
second start a continuing employer crack down...
third...after fence and BP staffing is complete...and
an additional 3 mo. of strict enforcement...
then debate the rest of the bureaucratic nightmare
which is called "comprehensive immigration reform".
But, then I always was one to want to immediately
address the 800-pound gorilla in the room...to fight
the knife hand of the attacker...and go for the throat
after the first punch is thrown.
Or maybe the DNC wants to snatch failure from the jaws of
the November 2006 victory...Lord, please spare us.
first, secure the border with a fence and Border Patrol...
second start a continuing employer crack down...
third...after fence and BP staffing is complete...and
an additional 3 mo. of strict enforcement...
then debate the rest of the bureaucratic nightmare
which is called "comprehensive immigration reform".
But, then I always was one to want to immediately
address the 800-pound gorilla in the room...to fight
the knife hand of the attacker...and go for the throat
after the first punch is thrown.
Or maybe the DNC wants to snatch failure from the jaws of
the November 2006 victory...Lord, please spare us.
The Democrats sell out the working man again.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070522/ap_on_...ess_immigration
QUOTE
Immigration deal survives early test
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 32 minutes ago
The Senate turned back an early attack on a broad bipartisan immigration overhaul Tuesday, keeping alive a temporary worker provision that could bring in as many as 600,000 foreign laborers each year.
Senators voted 64-31 to reject a proposal offered by Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D., and supported by some labor unions to strike the program, which is one of the measure's key elements.
The vote was the first big test for the improbable coalition that wrote the measure with White House officials, and is now struggling to keep the fragile deal from unraveling under pressure from across the political spectrum.
The bill still faces myriad assaults, including further Democratic attempts to limit or alter the temporary worker program, which would bring in foreign employees on two-year visas. A proposal by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (news, bio, voting record), D-N.M., to slash the number of annual visas available for temporary workers to 200,000 could come up as early as Wednesday. A similar amendment passed the Senate last year by an overwhelming margin.
The immigration measure would also toughen border security, give quick legal status to the estimated 12 million immigrants in the country unlawfully and create a new workplace verification system to bar undocumented workers from getting jobs.
It would create a point system for future immigration applicants that would place less emphasis on family connections and more on education and skills in demand by U.S. businesses.
Republicans were considering efforts to strengthen the bill's security measures and make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to get on the path to citizenship. Democrats were eyeing changes that would ensure more visas would be available for family members of permanent residents and U.S. citizens.
Conservatives, liberals and centrists who worked out the White House-backed deal are struggling to keep the bill intact while giving Democrats and Republicans who harbor grave concerns about it opportunities to make revisions.
Coalition members meet each day to decide which proposed changes are deal-breakers to what they call their "grand bargain." Dorgan's was considered one such poison pill.
The temporary worker plan has come under attack from several fronts. It would allow most of the workers — largely unskilled, nonagricultural workers in areas such as construction, landscaping and meatpacking — to stay for up to three two-year stints, provided they left the United States for a year between each stay.
Many labor unions say that would depress wages and create a class of workers with no job rights. Business groups call the leave-and-return element unworkable. Hispanic advocacy organizations and religious groups say it unfairly denies workers the chance to stay in the U.S. and ultimately gain citizenship.
"It is just a fiction that these are jobs Americans aren't willing to do," Dorgan said. "The main reason that big corporations want a guest worker program is that it will drive down U.S. wages."
Seventeen Democrats joined 46 Republicans and Independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut to oppose the amendment. Two Republicans joined 28 Democrats and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in backing it.
Dorgan's proposal was just one of a host of modifications senators are seeking to the broad immigration plan, a measure that evokes strong emotions among the public. Aware of the potent crosscurrents on the issue, leaders have abandoned an effort to speed the measure through the Senate this week, and now plan a final vote in June.
Democrats and Republicans are to take turns offering amendments, a process expected to last all week and resume after next week's Memorial Day recess.
"There's good and bad in this," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., said of the bill. "That's what amending the legislation is all about — trying to improve it."
Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., plans to propose instituting mandatory prison sentences for foreigners caught crossing the border illegally. Also likely to be debated is a proposal by Sen. James Inhofe (news, bio, voting record), R-Okla., declaring English the country's official language.
Sen. David Vitter (news, bio, voting record), R-La., announced he will seek to kill the legalization provisions altogether, calling them "amnesty_ plain and simple."
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 32 minutes ago
The Senate turned back an early attack on a broad bipartisan immigration overhaul Tuesday, keeping alive a temporary worker provision that could bring in as many as 600,000 foreign laborers each year.
Senators voted 64-31 to reject a proposal offered by Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D., and supported by some labor unions to strike the program, which is one of the measure's key elements.
The vote was the first big test for the improbable coalition that wrote the measure with White House officials, and is now struggling to keep the fragile deal from unraveling under pressure from across the political spectrum.
The bill still faces myriad assaults, including further Democratic attempts to limit or alter the temporary worker program, which would bring in foreign employees on two-year visas. A proposal by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (news, bio, voting record), D-N.M., to slash the number of annual visas available for temporary workers to 200,000 could come up as early as Wednesday. A similar amendment passed the Senate last year by an overwhelming margin.
The immigration measure would also toughen border security, give quick legal status to the estimated 12 million immigrants in the country unlawfully and create a new workplace verification system to bar undocumented workers from getting jobs.
It would create a point system for future immigration applicants that would place less emphasis on family connections and more on education and skills in demand by U.S. businesses.
Republicans were considering efforts to strengthen the bill's security measures and make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to get on the path to citizenship. Democrats were eyeing changes that would ensure more visas would be available for family members of permanent residents and U.S. citizens.
Conservatives, liberals and centrists who worked out the White House-backed deal are struggling to keep the bill intact while giving Democrats and Republicans who harbor grave concerns about it opportunities to make revisions.
Coalition members meet each day to decide which proposed changes are deal-breakers to what they call their "grand bargain." Dorgan's was considered one such poison pill.
The temporary worker plan has come under attack from several fronts. It would allow most of the workers — largely unskilled, nonagricultural workers in areas such as construction, landscaping and meatpacking — to stay for up to three two-year stints, provided they left the United States for a year between each stay.
Many labor unions say that would depress wages and create a class of workers with no job rights. Business groups call the leave-and-return element unworkable. Hispanic advocacy organizations and religious groups say it unfairly denies workers the chance to stay in the U.S. and ultimately gain citizenship.
"It is just a fiction that these are jobs Americans aren't willing to do," Dorgan said. "The main reason that big corporations want a guest worker program is that it will drive down U.S. wages."
Seventeen Democrats joined 46 Republicans and Independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut to oppose the amendment. Two Republicans joined 28 Democrats and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in backing it.
Dorgan's proposal was just one of a host of modifications senators are seeking to the broad immigration plan, a measure that evokes strong emotions among the public. Aware of the potent crosscurrents on the issue, leaders have abandoned an effort to speed the measure through the Senate this week, and now plan a final vote in June.
Democrats and Republicans are to take turns offering amendments, a process expected to last all week and resume after next week's Memorial Day recess.
"There's good and bad in this," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., said of the bill. "That's what amending the legislation is all about — trying to improve it."
Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., plans to propose instituting mandatory prison sentences for foreigners caught crossing the border illegally. Also likely to be debated is a proposal by Sen. James Inhofe (news, bio, voting record), R-Okla., declaring English the country's official language.
Sen. David Vitter (news, bio, voting record), R-La., announced he will seek to kill the legalization provisions altogether, calling them "amnesty_ plain and simple."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070522/ap_on_...ess_immigration
QUOTE
GOP rivals split on immigration measure
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 51 minutes ago
The immigration fight in Congress has spilled over onto the presidential campaign trail. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) is trying to sell the skeptical GOP base on contentious Senate legislation while Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and other Republican rivals oppose it.
"This immigration reform is an issue of national security," McCain, an Arizona senator, said Wednesday, stressing more secure borders and what he called an urgent need for the United States to know the identities and whereabouts of millions of illegal immigrants.
In White River Junction, Vt., Giuliani derided the legislation as an inadequate "hodgepodge" that "kind of goes in 10 different directions without any central focus." And Romney, who says the bill amounts to amnesty for illegal immigrants, said in Tulsa, Okla.: "Let them apply like everybody else in the world."
The differences among the GOP presidential candidates reflect the deep divide in the Republican Party over the issue. Hard-line conservatives advocate tougher policies to secure the country's porous borders and reject the notion of a guest-worker program or an eventual path to citizenship for many of the 12 million immigrants in the country illegally.
In the crowded GOP presidential field, McCain stands virtually alone in his unabashed support for the Senate plan that he co-sponsored and that melds all three of those ideas.
Giuliani, the former New York mayor, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and ex-Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, a likely candidate who is competitive in national popularity polls with the top-tier trio, all oppose the measure.
Among others, Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) of Kansas has struck a cautious tone, saying "there are good aspects of the bill" but others "that can be greatly improved." Former Govs. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin both took the hardline, calling the bill amnesty. Reps. Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) of California have long advocated strengthening U.S. borders above all else.
In recent days, McCain has challenged his rivals who oppose the measure to propose their own or stop criticizing the one before the Senate. He held conference calls on Wednesday with reporters in early primary states to defend his position, and he plans to continue his full-fledged effort to sell the measure in the coming days.
His advocacy for so-called "comprehensive immigration reform" doesn't necessarily sit well with conservatives who are critical in the GOP primaries. But McCain has long been a proponent of such an approach, and sticking with his position could bolster his claim to be a leader willing to take unpopular positions for the good of the country despite the personal political implications.
"He's paddling in a different direction than the wave," said Tucker Eskew, a Republican consultant who is unaligned in the race. "Some candidates appear to have changed their positions to get on the wave."
He and other GOP strategists say shifting and murky positions on such a critical issue threaten to undermine Republican candidates' arguments that they — not the Democrats — are the strong leaders the country needs.
"They're not going to get off not having a clear and concise position," said Christopher LaCivita, another GOP strategist who is neutral in the race. "The Republican base won't allow it."
As mayor, Giuliani billed himself as one of the most "pro-immigrant" politicians in the U.S. and argued against a bill restricting immigration. Now, he's taking a tougher position, saying he's willing to compromise on language allowing legalization for illegal immigrants, but only if the bill requires tamper-proof ID cards and a database of foreigners.
"It has to show when you came in. It also has to show when you leave, which I can't find (in the) hodgepodge that's being put together," Giuliani said.
In 2005, Romney said a Senate bill that had the same broad concepts of the current measure was reasonable. Now, he calls the current measure "a form of amnesty" because it allows illegal immigrants to stay in the country indefinitely. He criticized the bill's "Z" visa proposal that would allow illegal immigrants to gain citizenship eventually.
"It's quite simple — don't make a permanent 'Z' visa," Romney said.
Thompson also appears to have shifted his emphasis. A year ago, he said deporting all illegal immigrants "is not going to happen" and appeared to advocate a comprehensive approach. Thompson now says, "We should scrap this bill and the whole debate until we can convince the American people that we have secured the borders or at least have made great headway."
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 51 minutes ago
The immigration fight in Congress has spilled over onto the presidential campaign trail. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) is trying to sell the skeptical GOP base on contentious Senate legislation while Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and other Republican rivals oppose it.
"This immigration reform is an issue of national security," McCain, an Arizona senator, said Wednesday, stressing more secure borders and what he called an urgent need for the United States to know the identities and whereabouts of millions of illegal immigrants.
In White River Junction, Vt., Giuliani derided the legislation as an inadequate "hodgepodge" that "kind of goes in 10 different directions without any central focus." And Romney, who says the bill amounts to amnesty for illegal immigrants, said in Tulsa, Okla.: "Let them apply like everybody else in the world."
The differences among the GOP presidential candidates reflect the deep divide in the Republican Party over the issue. Hard-line conservatives advocate tougher policies to secure the country's porous borders and reject the notion of a guest-worker program or an eventual path to citizenship for many of the 12 million immigrants in the country illegally.
In the crowded GOP presidential field, McCain stands virtually alone in his unabashed support for the Senate plan that he co-sponsored and that melds all three of those ideas.
Giuliani, the former New York mayor, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and ex-Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, a likely candidate who is competitive in national popularity polls with the top-tier trio, all oppose the measure.
Among others, Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) of Kansas has struck a cautious tone, saying "there are good aspects of the bill" but others "that can be greatly improved." Former Govs. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin both took the hardline, calling the bill amnesty. Reps. Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) of California have long advocated strengthening U.S. borders above all else.
In recent days, McCain has challenged his rivals who oppose the measure to propose their own or stop criticizing the one before the Senate. He held conference calls on Wednesday with reporters in early primary states to defend his position, and he plans to continue his full-fledged effort to sell the measure in the coming days.
His advocacy for so-called "comprehensive immigration reform" doesn't necessarily sit well with conservatives who are critical in the GOP primaries. But McCain has long been a proponent of such an approach, and sticking with his position could bolster his claim to be a leader willing to take unpopular positions for the good of the country despite the personal political implications.
"He's paddling in a different direction than the wave," said Tucker Eskew, a Republican consultant who is unaligned in the race. "Some candidates appear to have changed their positions to get on the wave."
He and other GOP strategists say shifting and murky positions on such a critical issue threaten to undermine Republican candidates' arguments that they — not the Democrats — are the strong leaders the country needs.
"They're not going to get off not having a clear and concise position," said Christopher LaCivita, another GOP strategist who is neutral in the race. "The Republican base won't allow it."
As mayor, Giuliani billed himself as one of the most "pro-immigrant" politicians in the U.S. and argued against a bill restricting immigration. Now, he's taking a tougher position, saying he's willing to compromise on language allowing legalization for illegal immigrants, but only if the bill requires tamper-proof ID cards and a database of foreigners.
"It has to show when you came in. It also has to show when you leave, which I can't find (in the) hodgepodge that's being put together," Giuliani said.
In 2005, Romney said a Senate bill that had the same broad concepts of the current measure was reasonable. Now, he calls the current measure "a form of amnesty" because it allows illegal immigrants to stay in the country indefinitely. He criticized the bill's "Z" visa proposal that would allow illegal immigrants to gain citizenship eventually.
"It's quite simple — don't make a permanent 'Z' visa," Romney said.
Thompson also appears to have shifted his emphasis. A year ago, he said deporting all illegal immigrants "is not going to happen" and appeared to advocate a comprehensive approach. Thompson now says, "We should scrap this bill and the whole debate until we can convince the American people that we have secured the borders or at least have made great headway."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070524/ap_on_...ans_immigration
QUOTE(Indianhead @ May 22 2007, 02:55 PM) 
One, and only one, way Democrats should do this...
first, secure the border with a fence and Border Patrol...
second start a continuing employer crack down...
third...after fence and BP staffing is complete...and
an additional 3 mo. of strict enforcement...
then debate the rest of the bureaucratic nightmare
which is called "comprehensive immigration reform".
But, then I always was one to want to immediately
address the 800-pound gorilla in the room...to fight
the knife hand of the attacker...and go for the throat
after the first punch is thrown.
Or maybe the DNC wants to snatch failure from the jaws of
the November 2006 victory...Lord, please spare us.
first, secure the border with a fence and Border Patrol...
second start a continuing employer crack down...
third...after fence and BP staffing is complete...and
an additional 3 mo. of strict enforcement...
then debate the rest of the bureaucratic nightmare
which is called "comprehensive immigration reform".
But, then I always was one to want to immediately
address the 800-pound gorilla in the room...to fight
the knife hand of the attacker...and go for the throat
after the first punch is thrown.
Or maybe the DNC wants to snatch failure from the jaws of
the November 2006 victory...Lord, please spare us.
I wonder how the Commerce Department comes up with the numbers of how many migrant workers we need?
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.