Thread: Key Democrats say they won't block border fence

GOP still hopes for fence on border
Immigration: Key Democrats say they won't block border fence bill

By Lisa Friedman
The Press Telegram (Long Beach, CA), September 19, 2006

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_4365265

Washington -- With the congressional session barreling to a close and politicians eager to hit the campaign trail, Republicans moved with new determination Tuesday to seal off the U.S. border and impose strict new immigration controls.

The accelerated pace means the Senate is expected to consider as early as today Republican-sponsored legislation that would stretch 700 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

And while key Democrats said they will try to attach provisions that would legalize undocumented immigrants, they also vowed not to block the bill if Republicans force it to the floor without amendments.

If the Senate approves the bill, it will go to President Bush for his signature.

Its passage would mark a significant step forward in months of legislative haggling over immigration reform and would open the door for Republicans to push through a flurry of additional get-tough border measures aimed at bolstering their base and turning up the heat on Democrats.

'What Republicans appear to be doing is passing all the things for which there is a lot of support among the public and leaving the rest,' said Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors a more restrictive immigration policy.

As for the border fence, Camarota said, 'In an election year, my guess is that Democrats are not going to fight it very hard. It's not what they wanted, but they might go along.'

As of Tuesday afternoon, that appeared to be the case.

With a procedural vote set for this afternoon that would signal the start of debate on authorizing the double-layer fence along 2,000 miles of California, Arizona and Texas border lands, Democrats appeared reluctant to put up much resistance.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said they expect many Democrats to support the Secure Fence Act of 2006.

'Democrats are solidly behind controlling the border, and we support the border fence,' Feinstein said.

'This is all meant to box Democrats in to voting `no' and we're not going to fall for it.'

Several Republicans insisted that passing the border fence separately will not hurt chances of voting on a broad immigration reform down the road.

'We only have about two weeks left, and I think we ought to get pragmatic about what we can finish,' said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. 'People like me are committed to comprehensive reform.'

Added Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., 'I think we've seen here that complete reform or comprehensive reform is not moving ahead until we can guarantee the American people that we can secure our borders. The only way to get comprehensive reform is to do this first.'

Feinstein said she will vote in favor of the fence even if no guest worker provisions are included.

'We've got to get tough on the border,' she said. 'There's no question that the border is a sieve. What I regret is that it's not going to solve the problem.'

Eun Sook Lee, executive director of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium in Los Angeles, said she fears Congress has lost the political will for immigration reform.

'We feel like this is the first step in the wrong direction,' she said of the fence bill. 'We think that they're trying to take what seems like the easy way out of a complicated problem that deals with not just security but family and people's lives.

Yea, and we don't want you tacking a bunch of amnesty crap on it either!

Dixie

Dixie wrote:

Yea, and we don't want you tacking a bunch of amnesty crap on it either!

They are certainly attempting to, Dixie. Sen. Craig, Sen. Boxer, and Sen. Fienstien(sp?) were trying like hell to get an Ag worker amendment attached to the bill. I don't think Sen. Frist is going to allow it, but the Dems are giving it their best shot. This Ag amendment would place a illegals agricultural workers on a path to citizenship. All they have to do is prove they worked in the agricultural community for 150 consecutive days during a 12 month period. Sen. Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. Fienstein (D-CA) were whinning about all the farmers that have crops rotting in the fields, blah, blah, blah. Truth be known, the agricultural community is where the illegal immigration problem all started and it continue to be a huge part of the problem today. THEY WANT THEIR CHEAP LABOR!!!

Let them buy farm equipment! No more illegals working the fields!

Sen. Craig, Sen. Boxer, and Sen. Fienstien(sp?) were trying like hell to get an Ag worker amendment attached to the bill.

I listened to this today on C-SPAN and my immediate thought was whether these farmers have even tried to offer a higher wage to attract American workers, or are they just holding out for slave labor and waiting for the politicians to come thru for them?

Did you see the piece on Lou Dobbs tonight about the chicken processing plant in GA that lost 70% of its work force when ICE came in an rounded up those who were working illegally? The owner then had to hire legal workers at a slightly higher wage.

I watched Senator Boxer and Feinstein talk about their ag amendment also. Plus Feinstein went on with her blue card, green card and eventual citizenship plan for them too. Wasn't that part of the Senate's amnesty immigration bill??? She's not just talking about hiring some temporary seasonal workers. Plus many of them do not want to be citizens. They just want to work here to send money home to their families. She also said these ag workers have probably gone on to construction, hotels, etc. If that is so they are making more money doing that probably than picking crops. This blue card, green card, whatever would never be enforced lawfully. We know how docs are forged, illegals have a great system built in now to do that. Plus our government has proved over and over again how imcompetent they are at organizing and implementing programs. Just pass the fence bill please.