Thread: House GOP wants immigration vote

House GOP wants immigration vote
Patrick O’Connor

Freshman Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina gave his Democratic colleagues some political cover last fall by introducing legislation to crack down on illegal immigration. Now Republicans are trying to use his bill as a bludgeon.

GOP lawmakers in the House started gathering signatures Tuesday on a petition that would force Democrats to schedule a vote on Shuler’s measure to increase enforcement along the borders and block undocumented workers from jobs in the U.S.

The move gives Republicans a chance to show off their immigration bona fides in an election year while putting pressure on Democrats from more conservative districts to rebuff their own leaders in support of the bill. It also complicates fragile negotiations between House Democrats over the substance of a modest immigration overhaul being considered by members of the majority, and could reopen some political wounds for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.), backed by her leaders, filed the discharge petition calling for a vote on the Shuler bill, which would add 8,000 border guards to the federal payroll, expedite the deportation of illegal immigrants and expand an existing database for employers to check the eligibility of a potential worker.

To force that vote, Drake and her colleagues must corral 218 signatures, which means they would need near-unanimous support from within their own party plus a substantial bloc of Democratic votes. Shuler quickly signaled his support for the procedural push, despite the pressure it puts on some of his colleagues.

“I would have preferred that the SAVE Act came to the floor through regular order, but it deserves to be debated and voted upon on the House floor,â€

Stupak and a handful of Democratic colleagues held a series of meetings Tuesday, beginning at 8 a.m., to hammer out a compromise that all sides would accept. The group includes Shuler, Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Reps. Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts, Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois and Xavier Becerra of California.

Any so-called "compromise" from these open border, pro-amnesty zealots will be unacceptable.

Enforce the laws, and enforce them NOW.

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