Thread: Isakson says immigration reform has 50-50 chance

Posted on Tue, May. 15, 2007
Isakson says immigration reform has 50-50 chance

By Travis Fain - tfain@macontel.com
The U.S. Senate is again poised to take up sweeping immigration reform and Sen. Johnny Isakson said Monday there's a 50-50 chance that a bill will be passed before Congress' Memorial Day break.

But, movement or not, immigration reform remains the electorate's top domestic issue, and one sure to dominate next year's elections if Congress and the White House don't address it now, Isakson, R-Ga., said during a Monday visit to Macon.

"I think there's a 50-50 chance we get a good bill, or no bill at all," Isakson told The Telegraph's editorial board during an hourlong meeting Monday.

On that, Isakson is not alone. Those who have followed immigration reform said this week's continuation of congressional debate represents a watershed period for the issue.

"We're headed for a moment of truth," said Frank Sharry, executive director for the National Immigration Forum. "It's either a breakdown or a breakthrough."

Isakson also discussed immigration reform during a lunchtime Macon Rotary Club meeting Monday. He is sponsoring a bill that would beef up border security, then ask illegal immigrants to fess up to their crime in exchange for probationary rights to live and work in America - but not an expedited path to citizenship that has been key to some reform efforts.

Isakson's proposal, which is similar to one he also pushed last year, is one of many in an evolving conversation on immigration reform. It's based on a "trigger" system - meaning changes for the estimated 12 million illegal aliens in the country wouldn't be taken up until federal officials agree the U.S.-Mexico border has been secured.

That will take money and new border guards, and Isakson estimated the cost at about $6.2 billion and an extra 3,500 patrol agents. That would bring the number of agents along the border up to about 18,000, he said. Then - and only then - illegal immigrants would be asked to admit their guilt for entering the country illegally, pay a fine and learn English, Isakson said. They could keep working, but would face deportation if they commit a felony. Identification cards with fingerprint records encoded into them would also be produced to make falsified work documents harder to come by, he said.

Much like other plans, Isakson's elicits both complaint and praise from both sides of the issue.

For example: A spokesman for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps Georgia chapter, which raises money and volunteers to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border, said Isakson's proposal is better than a White House plan discussed heavily during last year's immigration debate. But it's still too soft on illegal immigrants, the chapter's media director, Ben Burroughs, said.

"We certainly don't think that 15 million people that have come here illegally should be eligible for anything except for a free ticket out of here," said Burroughs, using a higher estimate for illegal immigrants than many other groups quote, which is yet another signal of rampant disagreement on the issue.

Jerry Gonzalez, the executive director of the Atlanta-based Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, said immigration reform is sorely needed, but he doesn't like Isakson's trigger concept. Instead, border security increases and an amnesty program should happen simultaneously, he said.

But Isakson said the trigger is a deal-breaker for him.

"None of this stuff works if they still figure they can get in illegally," he said.

Gonzalez also said illegal immigrants need a "path to citizenship" if they're going to trust the government enough to turn themselves in.

That's not included in Isakson's bill, though other plans have made it a crucial element of reform.

Polls show Americans overwhelmingly support immigration reform that includes citizenship, and President Bush has continued to make it one of his top domestic goals. But the complicated issue continues to divide lawmakers and the public.

"The public has an enormous hunger for a bipartisan solution, but finding the sweet spot is difficult," Sharry said.

Isakson acknowledged the difficulty in the situation. But he said America has "done a lot tougher things." And the public outcry is too loud to ignore, he said.

"The public is crying for results," Isakson said. "Those times in American history, more times than not, you get a result."


http://www.macon.com/198/story/42037.html

Polls show Americans overwhelmingly support immigration reform that includes citizenship

Bull crap...not any honest poll

I think they think if they say that enough we will believe it!

NEVER!!

And the public outcry is too loud to ignore, he said.

So, what he's telling us is, they'd rather ignore it, if we would only let them. Shows how much our elected representatives care about our country.

"None of this stuff works if they still figure they can get in illegally," he said.

That's the truth. And if they figure they will eventually get a path to citizenship, NONE of this stuff works EVEN MORE.