Angry calls flood senators

By BOB KEMPER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 05/22/07

Washington — Angry Georgians on Monday continued to inundate the state's U.S. senators with phone calls and e-mails opposing the immigration compromise bill the two Republicans helped craft.

"The phones are still ringing," said Lindsay Mabry, a spokesman for Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Chambliss, ranking member of the Senate agriculture committee, was primarily involved in negotiating provisions of the bill dealing with migrant farm workers. But the provision that has riled most callers is one that would allow existing illegal immigrants to gain citizenship relatively quickly and without being required to return to their home countries first.

Conservatives have tagged the provision "amnesty" for immigrants who broke the law. Some booed Chambliss at last weekend's state Republican convention when he tried to talk about the compromise, which sets goals for beefed-up border security that must be met before any of the other reforms can take effect.

Sen. Johnny Isakson — who originated the idea of wedding the reforms pushed by liberals with the border security concerns of conservatives — was also getting his share of the blowback.

"The vast majority of the calls we're getting are that it's a bad bill," said Joan Kirchner, spokeswoman for Isakson. "There's a lot of misinformation out there, and it's reflected in the calls."

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