Thread: Bill backed by Kyl is 'amnesty' to some

Did Arizonans vote for Giffords for this?
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Published: 05.18.2007
IMMIGRATION REFORM
Bill backed by Kyl is 'amnesty' to some
Giffords: Time running out on negotiations
BLAKE MORLOCK and CLAUDINE LoMONACO news@tucsoncitizen.com

The coalitions needed to pass immigration overhaul bills in both the House and Senate could be torn apart by presidential election politics if a bill isn't approved by the end of the summer.
"The reality is, if we do not pass this before August, we will have missed an opportunity we won't have again for 18 months," said U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.
But though there is broad support of some method to regularize the status of people in the U.S. illegally, a sizable contingent calls such a move "amnesty" despite a proposed $5,000 fine.
The Senate version, brokered in part by U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., includes beefed-up border security, harsher penalties for companies that hire illegal immigrants and a system to grant probationary visas, called "Z" visas, for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., provided they pass a brief background check.
That bill was to be drafted Friday, Kyl said. A bill already introduced in the House addresses many of the same issues. Reconciling the two will mean another round of negotiations.
A stalemate would be fine with state Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who called the Senate immigration agreement "horrible" and "treasonous."
Pearce has been behind a series of ballot measures overwhelmingly approved by voters that restrict the state government from issuing benefits to people who can't prove they are in the country legally.
"The public has spoken loud and clear on this issue," Pearce said. "It is absolutely outrageous and treasonous. When are they going to get the message in Washington?"
Kyl said the deal is not amnesty, because it establishes a series of hoops that mean at least an eight-year wait before illegal immigrants can begin the process to get permanent legal status that could put them on a path to citizenship.
"With all those features, I think it is very difficult for anyone to call it automatic amnesty," he said.
It's not the bill he would have written, but he decided it would be better to get into the negotiations and make it "more conservative" than to let the Democrats craft a more liberal and lenient bill, he said.
"You can sit on the sidelines or get in the game," Kyl said. "I rolled up my sleeves and got into it."
If he had not, he said, the bill would not have included a merit-based system for awarding visas and 371 miles of border fencing to be built before any visas are issued. He also said it would end chain migration that allows entire extended families to immigrate to America.
He said this is as far as he's willing to compromise.
"This is it," he said. "If they dramatically change it, we can stop it. The reality is, the final bill is going to be very darn close to this bill."
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., does not support the Senate proposal but knows, as a congressman, that's not his job.
"The Senate did what they had to do," Grijalva said. "Now the House needs to do something comprehensive that raises the bar."
One aspect Grijalva especially didn't like was the shifting of immigration policy from a family-based system to one that awards visas based on the country's employment needs.
Grijalva said he's been pursuing immigration reform largely to keep migrant families together.
"It's tentative and unfinished legislation that negates family unification," Grijalva said.
Treating immigrants like economic units bothers Jennifer Allen, director of the Tucson-based Border Action Network.
"As a country, we should not look at people as disposable," Allen said. "We need to look at them as human beings with rights and dignity."
The Rev. Robin Hoover of the migrant aid group Humane Borders criticized the proposal for delaying the guest worker program until the border build-up is complete.
"If you would have comprehensive immigration reform first, then you would have enough agents to have national security," Hoover said. "We've got enough people out here to do serious border enforcement if we didn't have to mess with the migrants. Even the Border Patrol agrees with that."
U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar and Tucson sector Chief Robert Gilbert have both recently said getting economic migrants out of the desert through a guest worker program would allow agents to focus on the drug smugglers and other criminals illegally crossing the border.
Gov. Janet Napolitano voiced concern that the guest worker program cannot be put in place for at least 18 months because of "triggers" that must be met first.
Pearce vowed to campaign to defeat any elected official in Arizona who supports the deal, up to and including Kyl.
"Call it what you want. It's amnesty," Pearce said. "Kyl is headed down a road that is going to a road that's going to do real damage to himself and to the party."
Giffords defeated a get-tough-on-immigrants Republican in 2006 to win a seat in Congress and said her victory was a mandate for comprehensive reform over the enforcement-only crackdown Pearce favors.
That Kyl and Arizona's other Republican senator, John McCain, have supported the comprehensive approach is proof enough for her, she said.
"Arizonans want to see action," she said. "I don't think anyone could accuse John McCain and Jon Kyl of being liberal."
McCain, himself a candidate for president, said it was good to see Democrats and Republicans working together on the issue - though he has become far less vocal in recent months.
"We are off to a good start on immigration reform," he said. "The status quo is unacceptable."
Senate action seemed tenuous last week, and the breakthrough was good news for business, said Jack Camper, president and chief executive officer of the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
"We've been saying all along that this is the federal government's responsibility, and they have to step up," Camper said. "It sounds like they are on the way to doing it, and that's great."

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/52025.php

"We are off to a good start on immigration reform," he said. "The status quo is unacceptable."
Senate action seemed tenuous last week, and the breakthrough was good news for business, said Jack Camper, president and chief executive officer of the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

I am glad I have a barf bag

Kyl exposed himself as a traitor over 18 months ago. He's just behaving true to form.

"You can sit on the sidelines or get in the game," Kyl said. "I rolled up my sleeves and got into it."

You sure did you no good low down treasonous scum bag.

"As a country, we should not look at people as disposable," Allen said. "We need to look at them as human beings with rights and dignity."

I get frustrated and stop reading after i read something like this. What in the world are they talking about?? Illegals aren't supposed to be here. They are here *drumroll...* illegally. Where does their status change? The only right they have is the right to leave and come back legally. Until they, they are squatters on land that isn't theirs - trespassing. If i decide i'm tired of working so i go to live on a farmers land - eat his food, drive his car, steal his money, i'm pretty sure he's not going to be okay with it because "it's my right."

No, these people don't have the right to be in our country. They don't have the right to receive benifits set up for my countrymen. And most of all, they don't have the right to dictate their judgment. They have no say, no voice, nothing. When will the masses realize that this small minority that is screaming at the top of their lungs in foreign languages for amnesty are nothing but illegal squatters? It's not racist or heartless to call them that and it's not racist or heartless to want and expect them to leave.

"As a country, we should not look at people as disposable," Allen said. "We need to look at them as human beings with rights and dignity."

Can hear the brainwashing of La Raza on this one!

Grijalva said he's been pursuing immigration reform largely to keep migrant families together.

Family unification begins at home. If this "Representative" believes families must stay together, then why is he not concerned about keeping families together in Mexico? Who is he REALLY representing?

None of what these full-blown open borders advocates say ever rings true. He is a STRIVE co-sponsor, and STRIVE is a Mexico-US migration bill. Actually, it's a North American Union bill.

Apparently he and his other cosponsors believe the entire Mexican population should be transplanted to the US and that Americans should support them.