Thread: Compromise Reached on Guest Worker Plan

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/ho ... 053340.php
Thursday, March 16, 2006

Compromise reached on guest-worker plan
Senate panel's deal includes legalization proposal.

By DENA BUNIS
The Orange County Register

*DID I MISS SOMETHING?

WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today reached agreement on proposals for a new guest-worker program and a plan to allow the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States to become permanent residents.

Less than 24 hours after most experts and Capitol Hill watchers believed the committee would be unable to get a bill to the Senate floor by Majority Leader Bill Frist's March 27 deadline, committee Chairman Arlen Specter had brokered deals between some key senators on the complex issue.

No formal votes were taken and committee staffs were preparing to spend the next 10 days drafting language that would put in place the compromises reached. It appeared that at least a dozen of the 18 members on the panel would be prepared to back this deal. The committee plans to meet first thing in the morning on March 27. It is not yet known whether Frist will allow the panel to finish and send its bill to the Senate floor or if he still plans to bring up a more limited, possibly enforcement-only measure.

But even if nothing scuttles the compromise between now and when lawmakers get back from recess, and if the Senate passes a bill with these elements, there would remain a steep battle to get agreement from the House. The House passed an enforcement-based measure in December that doesn't include a guest-worker program or a plan for undocumented immigrants in the United States now.

Early this afternoon, Frist announced his intention to introduce a bill before next week’s recess that would deal with immigration-laws enforcement but will not include any of the controversial guest-worker or illegal-immigrant provisions. Officials in Frist’s office say he is doing this to ensure that there is a bill ready on the floor if the committee fails to pass a bill. If Specter does get a bill out of committee, that could be substituted for Frist's measure, said Frist press secretary Amy Call.

The most likely scenario, said ardent supporters of immigration reform who were pleasantly stunned by today's events, is that the issue will end in a stalemate, only to be brought up again in the next Congress. But they say it's important that the Senate go on record as supporting comprehensive change.

For the first time, Specter, R-Pa., who said he spent hours on the phone last night with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., agreed to Kennedy's plan to deal with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. Specter would have allowed these people to work indefinitely but not get green cards. Kennedy wanted to give them a path to legalization.

Specter agreed this morning with Kennedy's approach, provided that these illegal immigrants would not be able to start legalization proceedings until the backlog of 3 million people now waiting in countries around the world for their chance to come to the United States legally get their green cards.

The deal reached on a new guest-worker plan says that 400,000 new guest workers would be allowed into the country each year. Under the proposal authored by Kennedy and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that number would have been unlimited. But Kennedy, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, agreed to a cap and also agreed that after working for two years, these new guest workers would have to go back to their home countries and reapply for another stint as guest workers, one that could last up to six years. But first they'd have to stay in their home countries for one year.

Built into this compromise, however, is a chance for these workers to get a waiver and not go home based on how long they have been employed here or if they are considered essential to a U.S. employer's business.

The plan also allows guest workers to apply for permanent U.S. residency, something not included in either Specter's bill or the other major proposal under consideration, the bill by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Kennedy essentially compromised with Cornyn, who chairs the immigration subcommittee. The deal takes parts of each of their proposals.

Not all members of the committee agreed with these compromises.
Kyl said he still believed the illegal immigrants would get preference over those waiting legally in line overseas because the undocumented would be able to stay in the U.S. and work until their turn at a green card came. Those waiting to come here legally don't have that option, he said.

And several committee members most opposed to a guest-worker program – most notably Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., were not at this morning's session.

I must have missed the "border protection" part of this "compromise".

Or is the "compromise" part where only 400,000 are allowed in each year, instead of the infinite number McCain/Kennedy wanted?

By the way, is that 400,000 in addition to the 2,000,000 or so that will still break in illegally?

Originally Posted by CountFloyd

I must have missed the "border protection" part of this "compromise".

Or is the "compromise" part where only 400,000 are allowed in each year, instead of the infinite number McCain/Kennedy wanted?

By the way, is that 400,000 in addition to the 2,000,000 or so that will still break in illegally?

Its an addition to the 20 million already here. They want them to have citizenship! Can you imagine how many more will pour over the border in the next few weeks! We have BUTTHOLES representing us!

This is not compromise it is surrender. Every Senator that votes for this should be tried for treason.

By the way, does anybody notice that the same day the American Builders and Contractors says guest worker amnesty will pass the Senate, it passes? Now you know who is in charge, and it is not us.

Early this afternoon, Frist announced his intention to introduce a bill before next week’s recess that would deal with immigration-laws enforcement but will not include any of the controversial guest-worker or illegal-immigrant provisions. Officials in Frist’s office say he is doing this to ensure that there is a bill ready on the floor if the committee fails to pass a bill. If Specter does get a bill out of committee, that could be substituted for Frist's measure, said Frist press secretary Amy Call.

Sneaky ,little weasel, see how Frist is working this???

He acts like the bad ass who will forward an enforcement-only bill, with no amnesty (because we can't agree, so he says.)

HOWEVER, if a bill gets out of commitee(which it appears do have done), then it could be substituted for Frist's measure.

So we go from, Enforcement-with-No-Amnesty to ,
Amnesty-with-No-Enforcement.

If our politicians can shove amnesty down our throats, with no consequences to them, then I fear there is nothing to stop them from busting the dam completely, drowning us with invaders.

They could then, in effect say, "%&*% the American citizen, they play NO part in my continuing position of power. It pays better to serve La Raza.

-pa

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This is not good. This invasion has to stop! I'm very afraid of what the world will be like that my four year old son is going to have to try and live in!

WELCOME, PatBrunz!! It's good to have you here.
All of our congressmen and senators belong in the toilet along with their trashy ideologies of globalism. Flush them down. They're scum for selling our kids futures out.

IMPEACHMENT NOW!!!

IMPEACHMENT GEORGE BUSH NOW!!! VOTE EVERYONE WHO IS PRO ILLEGAL OUTAHERE IN NOVEMBER..THEY'RE ALL TRAITORS

The Time is Ripe for a Massive Protest and demand that the traitors be impeached and jailed.

Amen!! Those who call us racists when our arms are wide open are the racists. THEY'RE MAD AS HELL BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE WAR ENDED AND THEY HAVE VOWED TO BRING US DOWN