Subject: FAIR Legislative Update 03/06/2006

Latest News Releases

Specter Amnesty/Guest Worker Bill Sets Up Immigration Showdown(February 27, 2006)


Bush Administration Misuses Temporary Protected Status(February 24, 2006)


Ports Sale Consistent with Administration's Attitude Toward Jobs, Workers and National Sovereignty(February 23, 2006)

Check out our Stein Report for the latest immigration news and information!

March 6, 2006


In this update:
Senate Judiciary Committee Continues Work on Immigration Legislation - Further Action Needed to Fight Guest Worker Amnesty
Senators Heed Constituent Concerns by Offering New Pro-Reform Legislation
FAIR Press Releases
Recent Floor Statements
Upcoming Events
Senate Judiciary Committee Continues Work on Immigration Legislation - Further Action Needed to Fight Guest Worker Amnesty
Last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously adopted Chairman Arlen Specter's (R-PA) legislation as the starting point for what is expected to be a very contentious debate. Specter's proposal is a nightmare for American workers. It couples the mere promise of enforcement with an unlimited guest worker amnesty program that lets "guests" and illegal aliens stay permanently and increases existing employment-based visas by at least 500,000 a year. Here is a comparison of the Specter provisions with other leading House and Senate bills (PDF format)

The committee meets this Wednesday and Thursday to continue marking up the legislation in addition to a Wednesday and Thursday session the following week. The objective is to complete work on the bill by the March 27 deadline set by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). If the committee fails to agree to a bill by that date, he promises to offer his own legislation, which is widely expected to take the enforcement-first approach.

Your phone calls are making a difference! Congress Daily reports that Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and Tom Coburn (R-OK) are pressing for an enforcement-only bill. Please take a few minutes today to call and thank these senators using the phone number listed below.

While this is great news, there is much work to be done if we are to convince other committee members to share their view. Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and McCain (R-AZ) are advocating their approach which includes guest worker amnesty and a path to citizenship for illegal aliens, as are Sens. Brownback (R-KS) and Graham (R-SC) who are cosponsors of the McCain-Kennedy bill. Senators Cornyn (R-TX) and Kyl (R-AZ) are pressing for their approach which creates a new massive guest worker program that lets illegal aliens participate if they first return home.

White House Pressing Senate Judiciary Committee
In addition to the efforts of Senate supporters of a massive guest worker amnesty program, the White House is weighing in with the Senate Judiciary Committee. While the White House has been working with Senators Specter and others to press its guest worker amnesty plan for months, they are now engaged in what appears to be a full court press. Just today, White House staffers provided a briefing for Judiciary Committee staff to make their case as the clock on real immigration reform begins to wind down. FAIR has even heard that White House alchemists, believing they are blessed with a Midas touch, are now floating a proposal that would give a "gold" card to all illegal aliens, allowing them to remain in the United States indefinitely.

This week, we ask you to keep hammering home the message to Committee members to put enforcement first and oppose guest worker amnesty. Your calls are making a tremendous impact as dozens of amendments have been submitted for committee consideration including several strengthening amendments to improve the enforcement component of the legislation.

Here are 3 ways you can help make a difference:

Call Senate Majority Leader Frist (202-224-3135) and thank him for keeping the March 27th deadline and prioritizing enforcement first.
As mentioned above, please call Sens. Grassley, Sessions, and Coburn to thank them for speaking out in favor of enforcement-only legislation.
Don't let Senator Specter's war on the American worker succeed. Call his office and tell him there is no excuse for selling out American workers. Tell him that it's about time the cheap labor lobby took a back seat to homeland security and the security of the American middle class. Demand enforcement-only legislation. After calling his office, call the other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and give them the same message.
The members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and their contact information are listed below.

Senate Judiciary Committee:
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) - 202-224-4254
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) - 202-224-5251
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) - 202-224-3744
Sen. Jon L. Kyl (R-AZ) - 202-224-4521
Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) - 202-224-2315
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) - 202-224-4124
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC) - 202-224-5972
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) - 202-224-2934
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) - 202-224-6521
Sen. Thomas A. Coburn (R-OK) - 202-224-5754
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) - 202-224-4242
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) - 202-224-4543
Sen. Joseph R. Biden (D-DE) - 202-224-5042
Sen. Herbert H. Kohl (D-WI) - 202-224-5653
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) - 202-224-3841
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) - 202-224-5323
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) - 202-224-6542
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) - 202-224-2152

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Senators Heed Constituent Concerns by Offering New Pro-Reform Legislation
Several pro-reform bills were introduced in the Senate last week in response to your efforts and those of all Americans calling on Congress to get serious about immigration enforcement.

Nelson (D-NE), Sessions (R-AL), Coburn (R-OK)
On March 2, Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and Tom Coburn (R-OK) introduced legislation (S. 236 to strengthen border security and interior enforcement of immigration laws.

S. 2368, among other things:


Authorizes construction of a fence along the U.S./Mexico border
Makes employment eligibility verification mandatory
Creates new stiff criminal penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens
Affirms the inherent authority of state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws
Requires sharing of information between the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Homeland Security to increase enforcement of immigration, social security, and tax laws, and
Adds enforcement resources such as worksite enforcement agents and immigration attorneys and judges.
Sens. Feinstein (CA), Kyl (R-AZ) and Reps. Dreier (R-CA), Hunter (R-CA), et al
In response to recent discoveries of sophisticated drug/human smuggling tunnels between Mexico and California, legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate to criminalize the construction or financing of border tunnels. S. 2355 was introduced in the Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) on March 2. H.R. 4830 was introduced on March 1 by California Representatives David Dreier, Susan Davis, Jane Harman, Adam Schiff, Elton Gallegly, and Duncan Hunter. Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) paved the way for these bills by introducing similar legislation on Feb. 28. Read Feinstein's press release for further details.

Sen. Burr (R-NC) and Rep. Myrick (R-NC On March 3, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
introduced legislation (S. 2365) to improve sharing of immigration information among federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. This bill, called the Scott Gardner Act, was introduced in response to the killing of NC resident Scott Gardner by a drunken illegal alien driver. This bill was originally introduced in the House (H.R. 3776) by Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) on Sept. 23, 2005 and awaits consideration.

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FAIR Press Releases
Case Closed: Immigration Agency Would Be Incapable of Managing a New Guest Worker/Amnesty Program, Finds GAO (March 6, 2006)
Western Governors Endorse Immigration Plan that Would Doom American Workers (February 28, 2006)
Specter Amnesty/Guest Worker Bill Sets Up Immigration Showdown Between the Senate and the American Public(February 27, 2006)
Bush Administration Continues to Harbor Illegal Immigrants from Central America by Misusing Temporary Protection Status (February 24, 2006)
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Recent Floor Statements
Rep. Janice Schakowsky(D-IL) commented on First National Study Of Day Laborers Exposes Abuse, Injuries, H.R. 4437 Would Make Matters Worse (March 2, 2006)
Sen. John Campbell(R-CA) commented on Immigration Bill In Senate And Campbell Amendment (March 2, 2006)
Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL) commented on The Impact Of Illegal Immigration On Ranchers (March 2, 2006)
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Upcoming Events:
The Senate Judiciary Committee (Chairman Specter, R-Pa.) will meet to mark up pending legislation and to vote on pending judicial and executive nominations. When: 9:30am (March 8, 2006) Where: 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Draft Bill - Comprehensive Immigration Reform
TENTATIVE Continuation of items on the March 9, 2006 from March 8, agenda.

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