Thread: House Speaker Hastert tours El Paso border over immigration

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/15100609.htm

Posted on Sat, Jul. 22, 2006

House Speaker Hastert tours El Paso border over immigration

ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press

EL PASO, Texas - House Speaker Dennis Hastert finished a two-day visit to the U.S. border Saturday with a tour of a port of entry in El Paso and repeated calls for security reforms to protect the border.

Hastert, R-Ill., said he made the trip to determine what resources were needed to secure the border and stop illegal immigration. On Friday, he and several other members of Congress made three stops in Arizona, a hotspot for illegal immigration, and saw National Guard troops building fences near the border as part of President Bush's Operation Jump Start.

Speaking for the group, which included Reps. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., and Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat, Hastert said Saturday that securing the border must be the focus of any immigration legislation.

Hastert's visit comes amid the ongoing and contentious national debate about the future of U.S. immigration policy that has prompted mass protests around the country.

Both the House and Senate have passed immigration reform bills, but a compromise bill for the president's approval has not been worked out.

Hastert said he would only support legislation that focuses first on security and does not give illegal immigrants amnesty.

"We have to protect America," Hastert said. "We don't think the Senate bill...is the right thing to do."

The House bill, HR 4437, which passed in December, is focused on enforcement and does not address a guest worker program or a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants already in the United States.

The Senate bill, passed earlier this year, does include a guest worker program and other reforms, some of which have been billed as amnesty by opponents.

Hastert's border visit was criticized by U.S. Reps. Silvestre Reyes and Charlie Gonzalez, both Texas Democrats who were part of the delegation.

In statements released by Reyes and Gonzalez, both congressmen said the tour was more about politics than achieving substantive reform.

"We always like to have members visit El Paso, but we'd much rather have them working back in Washington, D.C.," Reyes said in his statement. "And if the Republican leadership is so concerned about border security, I really wonder why they didn't make this trip before the House considered HR 4437, and why they aren't appointing conferees to craft a final bill with the Senate."

"Reyes and Gonzalez"

Is there even one Congressman or Senator of hispanic descent that stands for no amnesty or open borders? What ever happen to being American first?

"And if the Republican leadership is so concerned about border security, I really wonder why they didn't make this trip before the House considered HR 4437

is true. many say that the senate rushed into the idiot of lou dobbs actually says that senate considered its bill for only two weeks. well, history shows that they dealt with it for much longer. rememebr the debate before easter vacation? and they had tons of hearings. the House did its work in two weeks. many opponents didn't have time to mount a fight and settled to fight it in 2006.

and if not mistaken, reyes is the only member of congress that had borde patrol experience.

TheInquisitor,

Troll

Dixie

Things must be dead over at cosa for them to come over here and post. All about TheInquisitor

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Inquistor No Amensty No Guestworker when will you understand, that is what the American ppl want. We will not let the DREAM act pass. Not in this lifetime. BOOOOHOOOO COSA

Originally Posted by viva_la_migre_uno

Things must be dead over at cosa for them to come over here and post. All about TheInquisitor

Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Total posts: 4511
[24.47% of total / 4.55 posts per day]
Find all posts by TheInquisitor
Location: Florida, but always a New Yorker
Website:
Occupation:
Interests: politics, cooking, medieval art, computers, and apologetics

Inquistor No Amensty No Guestworker when will you understand, that is what the American ppl want. We will not let the DREAM act pass. Not in this lifetime. BOOOOHOOOO COSA

Welcome viva_la_migre_uno!

Always good to see la migre

Yeah, the COSA bunch are grasping at straws now. The DREAM Act is pretty much a hopeless cause.

Oh boy.

Inqusitor's

many say that the senate rushed into the idiot of lou dobbs actually says that senate considered its bill for only two weeks

Would you mind repeating that because I'm not sure that I follow. Did you say, "the idiot, Lou Dobbs" ?

Thanks John
I go to a few sites to see how they think, most of them are {mod edit} and it would be a waste for U. S. Citizens to fund there higher Education. They remind me of pan hadlers, except that want it all. VIVA LA MIGRE