From the Washington Post:
Leading U.S. senators reached an agreement on Thursday on immigration reform that would strengthen U.S. borders and grant lawful status to millions of illegal immigrants, a deal that could lead to a major legislative victory for President George W. Bush.
This sets the stage for what is expected to be a passionate Senate debate over the plan, which would give some 12 million illegal immigrants legal status, create a temporary worker program and set up a merit-based system for future newcomers.
“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.
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The agreement was reached after marathon talks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, set aside next week for Senate debate. The House is expected to take up its version of immigration reform later this year.
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Under the legislation, a new visa would be created for illegals who can prove they arrived in the United States before January 1, 2007. They would receive a probationary visa during background checks. That would convert to a renewable four-year “Z” visa allowing employment in the United States and eventual eligibility for a permanent residency, or green card.
Reactions from our House members:
Raul Grijalva called the compromise “unacceptable” but said that “the Senate did what they had to do… Now the House needs to do something comprehensive that raises the bar.”
Jeff Flake: “The Senate negotiations over the last several months have shown just how difficult it is to reach consensus on this issue. It’s difficult, but this agreement shows that it’s possible. Our task in the House is to build a similar coalition.”
Gabrielle Giffords is circulating a letter urging Nancy Pelosi to stop the delay of immigration reform in the House. “The consensus is that it needs to pass before August, or we will have lost our window of opportunity for at least 18 months, until after a new president is elected.”
Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
Say no to amnesty. Please do not sell out America. We do not want to be Mexico north. It is a mistake and wrong for those in Mexico who applied for visas the correct way. They deserve better. the illegal should not be rewarded for coming in to the U.S. Illegally. The Mexicans are already taxing our welfare system and our healthcare system. Try sitting in an immergency for 8 hours to get medical care. And I pay for my ins. and they get free health care. Is that fair? This is all wrong!If you feel you need to help the Mexicans, Make their country more inviting by creating a better work system. they have many rich natural resources. Or you can annex Mexico to be part of the U.S. tha is what you are doing now. I also do not think that if you have a baby here that it automically becomes a U.S. citizen.
A large lie in the immigration debate that is used so often is that we have to deal with the people who are here as there is no way to deport them. As a retired police officer, I can tell you that the enforcement beauracracy that is being proposed in the new senate bill is the most unworkable I have heard to date and in fact less workable than deportation(collecting fines and doing background investigations/on 10 to 20 million people?). The lie is that virtually nobody is proposing deportation(the lie) and what is proposed is worksite enforcement and tighter border security. The deportation issue keeps coming up because the “liars” want to present something unworkable rather than that which is extremely workable……the current laws that are in place(border security and penalties for employers of illegals). Question: Is it easier to crack down on employers of illegal aliens enough for the message to get out and employing them becomes risky, eventually leading to a general lack of available jobs for illegal aliens, or is it easier to do what the senate is proposing? I can tell you there is no way to effectively do what they are proposing and it will ultimately make a bigger mess of it. In the meantime, I could singlehandedly, right this minute, point ICE to literally dozens of employers of illegal aliens in one small community where I worked as a police officer for 20 plus years in Colorado before moving to Arizona this past December. Its basic law enforcement and it is being done very little nationwide while grandois and unworkable proposals are being sold to us. Senator Kyl made an effort to do what he could…….I urge him though, along with Senator McCain and the rest of our delegation to just advocate the enforcing of the law and once the border is secure, then visit this debate. As it currently stands, I would rather not vote, than ever vote for anyone who allowed the rule of law and what most Americans believe is not good for America, to be forced upon us as if we had no choice.
Correction to the last sentence of my previous comment……..”I would rather not vote , than to vote for someone who allowed the rule of law to be ignored, along with the will of most Americans, as if there was not a choice.
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banners openly. But a traitor moves among those within the gate freely, and his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys are heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears no traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to their victims and wears their face and their garments, and appeals to the baseness which lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of the nation; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared.” -Cicero.
As a legal Arizona Republican voter, adamantly oppose this Immigration Reform Bill.
You will be driven out of office by backing this bill. We, the American people are not going to vote for any more for your liberal policies you hide under the banner of Republicanism.
How dare you lie to us by telling us that you are helping America. We are not stupid! But I guess I had a “stupid moment” when I voted for you in Arizona the last time you were on my Republican ballot.
I cannot believe what I saw unfold yesterday in the US Senate. You are now branded with an “A” for amnesty for backing this bill. This bill is a total disaster for our America! We the people will stop this immigration (amnesty) reform bill in its tracks!
Your lust for political power is blinding you to what 80 percent of American people want.
The plan appears to be completely unworkable. I was ready to give Kyl credit for compromise but I think I’ll wait a few weeks. The guest worker element is Kyl’s poison pill.
The guest worker program is silly. Employers are going to spend time and money to train someone who is going to leave after two years? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t.
Opponents are right when they say that guest workers will just leave the program after the two years are up and just stay here. You would have to have at least a five year term with registration every six months to make it workable.
Minimum Wage law needs to be applied to the progam to prevent “Cheap Labor” abuses and protect American workers.
There also needs to be a strong element of cooperation with the Mexican government. (Don’t worry wingnuts, I’m not talking about a North American Union)
We need to tie aid to Mexico and trade agreements to border security, enviromental, and workers rights compliance on the Mexican side.
Mexico needs to provide minimum wage standards tied to the standards in the US. some formula would have to be worked out.
It’s funny that this issue is what it took for you Republicans to worry about “treason within”. Since January of 2000 your sick, corrupt party has been dismantling our democracy.
Suspension of Habeus Corpus (a basic human right), promotion of torture, rampant corruption and cronyism, corporate facism, have all been implemented by this Administration, and only now do you worry about treason? But I guess you people were actually OK with all that.
Unbelievable.
Baaaaaa Baaaaaa!
And Mo, I don’t know what are you trying to say 80% of the country wants? No, reform? I think you need to look at other news sources than Faux News. Most Americans want Immigration reform and guest worker programs. Only the Minute Maids and paranoid Republicans who hate brown people are against it.
JON AND NORM HAVE TRADED CITZENSHIP FOR TREASON
Now is the time to start the recall process of Kyl! He needs to go and this is the only message he will understand! Plus it will send the message to the house members.
The McCain recall is already rolling. Go to therealmccain.com and sign the petition.
We’ll be glad to have the help of you righty wingnuts to Dump McCain!
And Kyl too! It’s like Christmas in May! Ho, ho ho!