May 17, 2010

Conservatives for CIR Conference Call - May 12, 2010 notes

Posted by D.A. King at 12:52 pm
Conservatives for CIR Conference Call

May 12, 2010

Juan Hernandez: Conservatives for CIR, a loose coalition of groups, is pushing conservatives to engage in CIR conversations with the hope of creating a strategy for achieving it. We have many well-known evangelical leaders on the call today, but we will begin with a discussion by Sen. Charles Schumer.

Sen. Schumer: I have good and bad news. The bad news is that the immigration system is broken and causing pain to many in your congregations. The good news is that we know how to fix the system. I have been working with Sen. Graham for over a year and now have a plan. We know that recent public discourse reflects an increasing hostility toward immigrants. I think the fact that we now have support from Baptists, Catholics and others shows this is not just a Latino issue and that CIR is possible.

We are close to getting business and labor together on a compromise, but we need your help in getting bipartisan support for moving ahead this year. No one has criticized my proposal as amnesty but we are told that there will be no bipartisan discussion until the border is secured. That’s a talking point, not a solution. It is clear that nothing we do will be enough for those who oppose CIR. It’s also clear that there aren’t enough votes in the House or Senate Judiciary Committee to pass a piecemeal “secure the border firstâ€