Sen. Harry Reid Promises Comprehensive Amnesty to large Mob of Illegal aliens!
Posted on Sunday, April 11 @ 01:28:31 EDT
Topic: Democrat Democrats illegal immigration
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 Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, told an exuberant crowd Saturday at an immigration rally in Las Vegas that Congress would start work on an immigration overhaul as soon as lawmakers return this week from a recess.
“We’re going to come back, we’re going to have comprehensive immigration reform now,” he said in a speech to more than 6,000 people, mostly immigrants, gathered downtown.
Subjects: Illegal immigration, Sen. Harry Reid, immigration rally, Obama administration, deportations, border security, amnesty
April 10, 2010
Julia Preston
The New York Times
“We need to do this this year,” Mr. Reid said, drawing cheers. “We cannot wait.”
Mr. Reid surprised immigrants and advocates with his direct commitment to moving forward with legislation on the volatile issue, with the Senate already divided by the passage of health care reform. Also, after Justice John Paul Stevens announced last week that he would retired, the Obama administration and the Senate will have to focus this summer on winning confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee.
The Democratic leader was nearing the end of a week of hard campaigning in his bid for re-election in Nevada, which is facing record unemployment and the nation’s highest foreclosure rate. After seeing small turnouts at several campaign stops, he appeared elated by the boisterous gathering in Las Vegas.
“We’re going to pass immigration reform, just as we passed health care reform,” he said in a five-minute speech to the crowd, many of them Latinos. Latino voters, who strongly support an overhaul, were crucial to Barak Obama’s upset victory in the state in 2008.
The rally was the largest among demonstrations in seven cities nationwide on Saturday, with immigrants pressing Congress and the Obama administration to pass overhaul this year. Organizers said they planned the rallies, on the last weekend before lawmakers return to Washington after the Congressional recess, to follow up a big rally on March 21 on the Mall in Washington. They are battling to keep the immigration overhaul on Congress’ agenda, even as the political odds had appeared to worsen almost daily.
The demonstrations were colored by growing criticism of the administration policies from immigrant groups and labor unions that support the immigration overhaul, who saying it has continued to pursue tough enforcement leading to thousands of deportations, but has made no progress on legislation to open a path to legal status to illegal immigrants.
“I’m very unhappy with President Obama because he said this would be the first thing he did when he was elected,” said Rafael Lopez, 21, an immigrant living in Las Vegas. “I’m worried because the Republicans are anti-immigrant,” he said, saying he feared that Republicans could make important gains in the elections in November.
Mr. Reid told the crowd that he believes he has 56 votes in the Senate to pass the immigration legislation. He called on immigrant groups to help mobilize support among Republicans for the overhaul.
He outlined legislation that would include border security measures, and a temporary guest worker program for future immigrants. To gain legal status, illegal immigrants would face “a penalty and a fine, people will have to work, stay out of trouble, pay taxes, learn English,” he said. “It’s not so bad, is it,” he asked the crowd.
Opponents of the legislation said yesterday they thought the chances for passage of the overhaul remained slim, when the country is still facing high unemployment.
“It just doesn’t look very feasible as the next big thing,” said Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, an organization that seeks reduced immigration. “I don’t think even Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are radical enough to go back to their districts and say, American workers don’t have priority when it comes to American jobs.” Ms. Pelosi, from California, is the Democratic leader in the House.
At a rally in Chicago that drew more than 1000 people, Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, the number two leader in the Senate, echoed Mr. Reid’s promise to try to move the overhaul this year. Speaking of President Obama’s role in pressing for health care legislation, Mr. Durbin said, “We need that same determination and that same commitment to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year.”
He said he would work to bring Republicans to support the legislation. Senators Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, and Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat from New York, have been working on a bill. Mr. Graham has said recently he does not believe that there is sufficient support among Republicans to move forward.
“That is our challenge,” Senator Durbin told the rally in Chicago, “to bring together the Democratic voices as well as good-thinking Republicans to make this a reality of immigration reform. We can do this.”
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