Thread: Bush Renews Call for Action on Immigration

By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated Press Writer
41 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - President Bush, facing Republican divisions on immigration, urged the Senate on Wednesday to swiftly approve a comprehensive bill affecting millions of illegal immigrants now in the country. "This is a vital debate," he declared.

Senate Democrats pushed for a vote on a bipartisan immigration bill that would allow the illegal immigrants to remain in the country and become permanent residents after paying $2,000 fines and back taxes, learning English and working six years.

Several rank-and-file Republicans objected, and Majority Leader Bill Frist and fellow Republicans spent much of the day trying to find an alternative.

Bush said the immigration bill should include a guest worker provision that allows illegal immigrants to remain in the United States to peform jobs that, he said, Americans will not perform. But he said the legislation should not include an amnesty provision that provides automatic citizenship.

He called on the Senate "to come to a conclusion as quickly as possible and pass a comprehensive bill."

Prospects seemed dim. "I don't know that we're going to get a bill," said Sen. Mike DeWine (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio. "It's tough."

Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) of Nevada, the Democratic leader, blocked numerous attempts by Republicans to hold votes Tuesday on selected amendments. "We do not need a compromise. It's in our bill," he said and later set the stage for a test vote on Thursday.

Democrats need 60 votes to overcome objections from conservatives on the immigration bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee that is being pushed by Reid.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., acknowledged the votes to cut off debate and force a final vote are not there, but said Democrats had to move because they feared Frist was going to let the clock expire on the bill, in its second week on the floor.

But Republicans blamed Democrats for inaction. "The other side is delaying, postponing, obstructing and not allowing votes on amendments," Frist said.

The House has passed a bill that would shore up border security by putting the military on the border, requiring employer to verify they've hired legal workers and making being in the country illegally a felony.

A strong Senate bill would mean a better bargaining position in conference committee with the House, Durbin said.

The White House repeated President Bush's call for a temporary worker plan as a way to identify the millions of illegal immigrants in the country. The administration said in a statement it wants a bill that does not create "an automatic path to citizenship."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060405/ap_ ... mmigration

Boy, a lot of them are wetting their pants, wanting to pass this thing as quickly as they can!

Specter said he hasn't read anything on what the future may hold if we allow billions of people here.....said he was too busy to read anything.....he probably hasn't read his own bill.

Quick, we better pass this bill because the American people are starting to catch on to our scam.

"This is a vital debate,"

If it's so vital then why the quick rush? You haven't done a damn thing in six years and now you want to just rush this thing through without a single discussion on the impact this is going to have on our nation. A-holes!

Isn't it hilarious !? Six years and it was no big deal to him. He allowed this. He promoted this. Now all of a sudden it's SO IMPORTANT, HURRY, HURRY, HURRY !!

It's URGENT ! Hurry before the American people CONVINCE you that they are serious that they will vote you out of your job in the upcoming elections....which are just around the corner. HUUUURRRRRRYYYY

Let's hope they realize that they only have to deal with Bush for a couple more years. But they have to deal with us the American voters the rest of their political career.... how ever long that may be