Thread: Senate votes to debate immigration reform

Senate votes to debate immigration reform

By Ted Barrett and Tom Cohen, CNN
updated 2:48 PM EDT, Tue June 11, 2013



Obama: Immigration bill is tough on border security


STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Senate Democrats, Republicans vote overwhelmingly to allow debate
• President Obama urges Congress to pass the bipartisan Senate measure
• The "Gang of Eight" plan would create a 13-year path to citizenship
• Some conservatives call it amnesty, and could block it or slow momentum

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama tried Tuesday to build momentum for an immigration reform bill that later passed a key Senate hurdle, saying the measure was a commonsense approach to fix a broken system that has allowed 11 million people to live illegally in America.
At a White House event a few hours before the Senate voted to debate the plan, Obama emphasized that it would increase spending on border security and require undocumented immigrants to pursue what he called an "arduous" path to eventual citizenship.
"You have to pass background checks, you have to learn English, you have to pay taxes and a penalty and then you have to go to the back of the line behind everybody who has done things the right way and have tried to come here legally," Obama said in addressing a major complaint by Republican opponents who call the reform measure an amnesty.
The legislation addresses an emotionally charged issue with huge political stakes for both parties. However, fierce opposition by conservatives may prevent it from getting through Congress despite years of negotiation and major compromise.
In the Senate, Republicans who forced the procedural step that required at least 60 votes to launch debate on the immigration bill joined Democrats to easily surpass the threshold.
The final tally was 82-15, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned that some Republicans had no intention of supporting the measure even though they supported opening the formal debate.
Under the bipartisan proposal hammered out by the so-called "Gang of Eight" senators this spring, most undocumented immigrants would face a 13-year path to citizenship.
Polls show many Americans also favor some form of immigration policy overhaul, depending on the details of legislation.


How will Congress vote on immigration?



'Immigration will make America safer'
Obama and congressional Democrats are anxious to fulfill a long-delayed pledge to Latino voters to pass reforms to the troubled immigration system. Passage could pay political dividends for their party for many years.
Republicans are in a more difficult bind.
Latinos backed Obama over Mitt Romney by a 44-point margin in November and GOP strategists are concerned about the party's long term viability in national elections if that trend is not reversed.
Some congressional conservatives say opposing the "Gang of Eight" plan is a matter of principle and they won't bend. They remain skeptical about any measure offering a path to citizenship. A lot of them consider it amnesty.
That provision, coupled with concerns about whether the bill really will tighten security along the nation's porous borders as proposed, may make it difficult for conservatives to support -- especially those up for re-election next year.
"The bill grants permanent legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants, as currently written, without really any guarantee of securing the border. Now, how would that possibly be a good idea?" asked Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the chamber's No. 2 Republican, who voted Tuesday for opening debate.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, a member of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" who is considered a possible GOP presidential contender in 2016, argued that doing nothing amounts to what he called a "de facto amnesty" for immigrants currently living illegally in America.
Even if the Senate passes the legislation, strong opposition from conservative Republicans in the House makes final prospects uncertain.
House working on its own plan
Rubio, a popular conservative of Hispanic descent, has made clear that border security requirements must be toughened if he and other GOP skeptics will support it.
He is pushing an amendment that would make Congress, not the executive branch, responsible for deciding if security metrics at the border have been met before other aspects of the reform bill -- including the pathway to citizenship -- are triggered.
Because Rubio's support is so critical, other members of the bipartisan group have hinted they likely will back his proposal even though they are reluctant to make major changes to their original compromise.
The vote on the Rubio amendment will be one of the most closely watched as floor action unfolds over the next three weeks.
It's not clear when that vote will take place. But there will be many other amendments related to stepped up security checks of people entering the country, temporary visas for high and low skilled workers, and other technical provisions.
Obama says no one will get everything
Republican opponents are expected to offer amendments to undermine the plan and weaken support.
"Gang of Eight" members have vowed to work together to defeat those amendments and prevent key parts of the agreement from crumbling.
"Senators will propose a number of ideas to make the legislation better. Some will offer ideas to make it worse. But those suggestions must preserve the heart of the bill," said Reid, a Nevada Democrat.
Advocates for comprehensive reform won the first major legislative victory last month when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 to approve the "Gang of Eight" plan.
Democratic leaders hope to have a vote on final passage by the end of June.
A bipartisan group has been working on an immigration plan in the House but the effort suffered a setback last week when a key member dropped out of the negotiations.
Previous efforts to pass immigration reform fell short last decade even though it was said to be a priority of President George W. Bush at the time.
Key senator endorses plan

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/11/politics/immigration-senate/index.html

RELATED http://www.alipac.us/f12/senate-vote...reform-280689/

All they voted to do was debate the issue.

Senate votes to begin historic immigration reform debate

By Carrie Dann, Political Reporter, NBC News
By a wide margin, the Senate voted Thursday to formally begin debating an historic overhaul to the nation's immigration laws that would allow those currently residing in the United States without documentation a pathway to citizenship.
Senators voted 82 to 15 on a procedural question that essentially opened an immigration debate set to dominate the upper chamber through the Fourth of July holiday. A handful of Republicans joined with most Democrats in support of opening the debate over legislation crafted by a bipartisan group of senators known as the "Gang of Eight." Their legislation is regarded as the best chance to win comprehensive immigration reform since 2007, when a similar reform effort sputtered in Congress.



The legislation enjoys the strong support of President Barack Obama, who earlier in the day sought to gain momentum for his top second-term legislative priority by urging Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform measure before the end of the summer, warning those who would oppose the bill that there is “no good reason to play procedural games or engage in obstruction.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid talks Tuesday about House Speaker John Boehner's view of immigration reform legislation in Congress.

“If you’re serious about actually fixing the system, then this is the vehicle to do it,” he said of the bipartisan bill.
Joined by a broad array of stakeholders and supporters, including AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donahue and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, Obama acknowledged that the Senate bill is a compromise that doesn’t satisfy any group’s needs entirely but represents the “best chance” to repair a broken system.
“To truly deal with this issue, Congress needs to act,” he added. “And that moment is now.”
Tuesday's vote offered a first tally of the most hardened opponents of the bill. The 60-vote threshold measure will allow the Senate to formally begin debate on the legislation.
But while that initial hurdle is expected to be easily cleared, Republican support for beginning the discussion of the legislation is no guarantee – yet – of the overwhelming bipartisan vote that proponents are hoping to garner when the upper chamber votes on the final bill before the Senate’s July 4 recess.
Debate so far has offered senators the chance to voice concerns, opposition, support and even a history-making full floor speech delivered in Spanish by Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat.
Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reiterated that he will vote to begin debate but expressed concerns with the bill’s “serious flaws.”
“I'll vote to debate it and for the opportunity to amend it, but in the days ahead there will need to be major changes to this bill if it's going to become law," McConnell said.
Some supporters of the comprehensive immigration reform bill have suggested that passage with upward of 70 Senate votes would offer the best chance of pushing the bill through the GOP-controlled House, while others believe their margin of victory matters less than maintaining what they see as the strongest possible protections for immigrants aiming to become citizens.
President Obama calls upon Congress to pass the bipartisan immigration bill that is currently present before the Senate, saying it is the "best chance we've had in years to fix our broken immigration system."

"If we get just a handful of Republicans I think it probably dies in the House, so I think it’s imperative we get close to half our conference," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters before the procedural vote.
In the weeks to come, backers of the bill will consider various amendments designed to woo more votes, while opponents of the legislation will offer changes designed to gut the current bill’s major tenets – including its provision to allow many undocumented immigrants to pursue legal status and eventual citizenship.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has said he wants additional border security measures included in the legislation, announced Tuesday that he will offer a measure to strengthen the requirements for undocumented immigrants to demonstrate English language skills before earning a green card.



Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is one of the most outspoken critics of the bill, said earlier this week that Obama stands in the way of passage of immigration reforms because of his support for citizenship rights for undocumented immigrants – a controversial but foundational piece of the comprehensive reform package.
A Democrat on the Gang of Eight offered a creative diagnosis for Cruz’s opposition Tuesday during an appearance on MNSC’s Daily Rundown.
“I think he has Obamaphobia," said Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey. "The reality is that it is the Gang of Eight that came together — four Democrats, four Republicans — and said that we need a path to citizenship."

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/11/18902366-senate-votes-to-begin-historic-immigration-reform-debate?chromedomain=nbcpolitics&lite

HERE ARE TODAY'S CHAMPIONS WHO TRIED TO STOP THE AMNESTY BILL IN ITS TRACKS
ALABAMA: Sessions & Shelby
ARKANSAS: Boozman
IDAHO: Crapo & Risch
ILLINOIS: Kirk
IOWA: Grassley
KANSAS: Roberts
LOUISIANA: Vitter
OKLAHOMA: Inhofe
SOUTH CAROLINA: Scot
TEXAS: Cruz
UTAH: Lee
WYOMING: Barrasso & Enzi
Everybody else voted YES, except for three who didn't vote:
ALASKA: Murkowski
ARIZONA: McCain
OKLAHOMA: Coburn
I have no idea at this time why they didn't vote. Murkowski and Coburn have both made strong nods toward voting for the bill recently but have been hammered by the voters.
Interestingly, during the second less-important vote (because it required only a majority, instead of 60 votes), Mississippi Sen. Cochran voted NO, after having voted yes on over-riding the filibuster.
NumbersUSA agreed with four Senators on the Judiciary Committee who said the 1,000+ page bill is such a monstrosity of special-interest gluttony that it did not deserve any debate at all. www.numbersusa.org

This motion was passed in June '07 with 64-35 and we know how that turned out in the long run.
http://www.alipac.us/f9/names-who-vo...e-s1639-65567/