This Week's Floor Statement

Rep. Charles Norwood (R-GA)

Vicente Fox, Hurricane Looter

September 19, 2005
In this update:

Bush Revealing Guestworker/Amnesty Proposal to Congress
Norwood Stresses Importance of Giving Katrina Rebuilding Jobs to American Storm Victims, Not Mexican Illegal Aliens
Senate Majority Leader Frist Seeks Feedback from Americans on How to Deal with the Illegal Immigration Problem
Tancredo Introduces Bill to Reduce Immigration
DHS Expands Expedited Removal to Entire Southwest Border
Myrick Offers Legislation to Combat Illegal Immigration
House Judiciary Committee to Consider Increasing Fees for L-1 Visas
Agency Fights Leave U.S. Vulnerable to Terror, Committee Hears
New Cosponsors of Key Bills
Recent Floor Statements
Upcoming Events
Bush Revealing Guestworker/Amnesty Proposal to Congress

President Bush is revealing to lawmakers his proposal to overhaul U.S. immigration policy, which includes a new guestworker program that will allow illegal aliens to participate, coupled with merely the promise of enforcement. Congress Daily reports that his proposal differs from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's (R-TX) approach of putting enforcement first, and closely resembles amnesty guestworker legislation offered by House Representatives Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA). This legislation, misnamed the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, would vastly liberalize our immigration system by creating two new guestworker visa categories: one for currently resident illegal aliens, another for future legal participants. After a period of indentured servitude, these so-called "guestworkers" could buy green cards and inevitably U.S. citizenship. For more information, read our summaries of H.R. 2330 and S. 1033.

Congress Daily also reports that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-TX) expects the committee to complete a markup of immigration legislation by mid-October. He and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) are sponsors of a competing immigration overhaul bill which includes more in the way of enforcement than the H.R. 2330/S. 1033. Cornyn downplayed these differences, saying the bills were "90 percent similar."

Stay tuned…we will keep you posted as this issue develops.

Back to top

Norwood Stresses Importance of Giving Katrina Rebuilding Jobs to American Storm Victims, Not Mexican Illegal Aliens

Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) last Friday rejected an offer by Mexican President Vicente Fox that Mexican nationals be allowed to participate in the rebuilding of Katrina ravaged areas. At least half a million Americans from affected areas have lost their jobs permanently. These storm victims, not illegal aliens from Mexico, should be employed in the rebuilding effort. Rep. Norwood responded, "While we appreciate the disaster aid assistance Mexico is providing by sending a military convoy across our southern border, we cannot afford to pay them back with the jobs of our hurricane victims." Read more.

Take this opportunity to thank Rep. Norwood (202-225-4101) for his commitment to American workers and to urge your legislators to do their part to ensure rebuilding jobs go to displaced storm victims, not illegal aliens. (Find your legislators phone numbers here on our web site or call the Capitol Switchboard 202-225-3121 and ask to be connected.)

Back to top

Senate Majority Leader Frist Seeks Feedback from Americans on How to Deal with the Illegal Immigration Problem

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) is soliciting feedback from Americans on border security and various proposals to overhaul immigration, including the president's guestworker/amnesty plan. Take this opportunity to share your opinion at http://www.secureamericasborders.com/
Back to top

Tancredo Introduces Bill to Reduce Immigration

House Immigration Reform Caucus Chairman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) introduced the RIGHT Act, H.R. 3700, on September 8 to reduce overall immigration levels to serve the national interest. H.R. 3700 would help lower overall levels of legal immigration by eliminating chain migration of non-nuclear family members, reducing the annual quota of employment-based immigrants to 5,200, and eliminating the highly-abused diversity visa lottery which currently brings in over 50,000 new immigrants each year. Among other things, the bill would also restrict birthright citizenship to children born to a parent who is, at the time of birth, a citizen or national of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residents.

The effect of this legislation would be to reduce current annual immigration of around 1 million to just above 300,000, as recommended by the bipartisan U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform.

Back to top

DHS Expands Expedited Removal to Entire Southwest Border

DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff announced last Wednesday the expansion of Expedited Removal (ER) authority from three to all nine Border Patrol sectors along the southwest border. ER provides DHS the authority to expeditiously return non-Mexican illegal aliens who have spent less than 14 days in the United States and who are apprehended within 100 miles of the border to their country of origin as soon as circumstances allow. Under ER proceedings, other-than-Mexican illegal aliens apprehended will be returned quickly and no longer be released into the United States to await court proceedings of their deportation cases.

"Expanding Expedited Removal gives Border Patrol agents the ability to break the cycle of illegal migration," stated Secretary Chertoff. "The use of this authority will allow DHS the ability to gain greater control of our borders and to protect our country against the terrorist threat."

Back to top

Myrick Offers Legislation to Combat Illegal Immigration

10K Run for the Border Act, H.R. 3806

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) introduced legislation on September 15 to increase federal penalties levied against employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens. The additional amount of fines paid under the 10K Run for the Border Act (H.R. 3806) would go towards reimbursing state and local law enforcement for assistance and prosecution of cases, reimbursing states for costs associated with incarcerating criminal illegal aliens, and detention of illegal aliens in federal facilities.

Scott Gardener Act, H.R. 3776

As promised, Rep. Myrick introduced the Scott Gardener Act on September 15. H.R. 3776 seeks to improve sharing of immigration information among federal, state and local law enforcement, and to improve state and local enforcement of immigration laws. Rep. Myrick authored this legislation in response to the recent killing of Mount Holly resident Scott Gardener. Gardener was hit by a truck driven by a drunk Mexican illegal alien, Ramiro Gallegos, who should have been deported based on four prior impaired driving charges. Despite the fact that he was entered into computers as an illegal alien in 2000, immigration officials received no request for information about him from local law enforcement.

Back to top

House Judiciary Committee to Consider Increasing Fees for L-1 Visas

The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider legislation Wednesday by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) to impose additional fees on employers bringing in L-1 visa workers. The L-1 visa allows multinational companies to transfer employees from a foreign corporation to a U.S. branch, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate entity. L-1 visa workers can work for up to seven years in the U.S. H.R. 3648 seeks to impose a $1,500 fee on an employer when an alien files an application abroad for a L-1 visa authorizing initial admission into the United States as a nonimmigrant in order to be employed by the employer.

Click here to learn how the L-1 visa has been used by big business to displace American workers.

Back to top

Agency Fights Leave U.S. Vulnerable to Terror, Committee Hears

The House Government Reform Committee Subcommittee on National Security held a hearing last week to examine progress made in preventing terrorists from obtaining visas overseas and gaining access to the United States since the 2003 creation of the Department of Homeland Security. A Government Accountability Office witness (GAO) testified that improvements have been made, but staffing of consular offices with qualified mid-level experienced managers is seriously deficient, even in some of the most highly sensitive country missions. To date only two VSOs (Visa Security Officers) have been deployed and only five more are scheduled to be assigned. Click here to read the full GAO report
Back to top

New Cosponsors of Key Bills

The following members signed on to good and bad immigration legislation this past week. If your legislators are listed, please use the phone numbers provided to thank them for supporting good legislation, or to urge them to reconsider their support for bad legislation. Follow the links below to learn more about these bills.

Thank these members for supporting good reform legislation!

H.R. 2049 - Federal Contractors Security Act

Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) 202-225-3361
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) 202-225-2401
H.CONRES.50 - House Resolution Disapproving of the U.S./Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement
Rep. Marsh Blackburn (R-TN) 202-225-2811
H.R. 1986 - Military Assistance on the Border

Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) 202-225-3361
H.R. 698 - Citizenship Reform Act of 2005

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) 202-225-4426
Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) 202-225-3605
H.R. 925 - The Identification Integrity Act of 2005

Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA) 202-225-3076
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) 202-225-1986
Urge these members to reconsider their support for the following dangerous bills!

S. 359 - The Agricultural Job, Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2005 (AgJOBS)

Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-WI) 202-224-5653
Back to top

Recent Floor Statements

On September 15, Rep. Charles Norwood (R-GA) commented on Vicente Fox, Hurricane Looter.
Back to top

Upcoming Events

The National Capital Immigration Coalition will hold a news conference by advocates and immigrants to mark the national lobby day for comprehensive immigration reform. When and Where: Sept. 21, 12 NOON, St. Peter's Catholic Church, 313 Second St., SE, Washington, D.C..
The House Judiciary Committee will hold a full committee markup of H.R.3648, to impose additional fees with respect to immigration services for intracompany transferees." When and Where: September 21, 10:00AM, 2141 Rayburn House Office Building.
The National Capital Immigration Coalition will hold a national town hall meeting and rally for "Real Immigration Reform." Participants: Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ); Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ); Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL); Karen Narasaki, president of NAPALC; Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers of America; and Gustavo Torres, executive director of Casa de Maryland. When and Where: Sept. 20, 4PM, Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th St., NW, Washington, D.C.




Please forward this message to friends and email lists.
Not on our action alert list? Click here to subscribe.
For breaking immigration news, visit the Stein Report.
Fax your legislators for free from MyFAIR Plan Action Center.
Support our work! We depend on contributions from people like you.
Click here to edit your preferences.

www.fairus.org
(202)328-7004