Anti-amnesty bill reformed ; Committee okays amended version

Concord Monitor (New Hampshire)
January 28, 2010
BY SHIRA SCHOENBERG, Monitor staff

This wasn't what the bill's sponsor had in mind.

Yesterday, the House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee took a controversial resolution opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants and turned it on its head.

The committee unanimously recommended that the House pass an amended resolution supporting comprehensive immigration reform.

The original resolution, sponsored by state Rep. Jordan Ulery, a Hudson Republican, stated: "Amnesty rewards illegal aliens for breaking our laws," and continued, "Amnesty would allow illegal-alien gang members, criminals, and terrorists to be eligible to become citizens of the United States."

The new resolution notes, "it would be impractical, if not impossible to expel the estimated 12 million people who have entered this country illegally."

It concludes with a resolution urging Congress "to develop and pass a comprehensive immigration reform program that provides a path to legal permanent resident status."

"I was dumbfounded," said Kris Schultz, New Hampshire state director for Reform Immigration for America, who testified against Ulery's resolution. "This was a complete 180."

At a hearing last week, several advocates of immigration reform testified against Ulery's resolution, calling it offensive and hateful.

Several of their points were incorporated into the amended resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Kris Roberts, a Keene Democrat.

The new resolution says that the U.S. "is a nation founded on legal immigration," citing the large numbers of immigrants who have come to the country legally, through visas, green cards and as refugees.

The resolution acknowledges Ulery's point that no one who has entered illegally should benefit from violating the laws; it states that comprehensive immigration reform should give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship but also not punish law-abiding permanent residents.

If the resolution becomes law, it will be sent to President Obama, the U.S. House speaker, U.S. Senate president and members of New Hampshire's congressional delegation.

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