Thread: Paul Ryan lays out immigration proposals in Racine town hall meeting

Paul Ryan lays out immigration proposals in Racine town hall meeting


By Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel
Updated: 5:33 p.m.

Rick Wood
Valeria Ruiz, an undocumented student who attends Racine Case High School, offers her views to U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as he addresses immigration concerns at a bilingual listening session at St. Patrick’s Church in Racine.


Racine — Coming face-to-face with activists, immigrants and the children of undocumented immigrants, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan on Friday laid out his proposals to achieve a consensus in Congress and push through long-sought reform of the nation's immigration laws.

"Immigration is a good thing for this country. It is this country," Ryan told more than 300 people who attended the town hall meeting at St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

Ryan, the Janesville Republican who was the 2012 vice presidential candidate, has been a key behind-the-scenes player on the issue in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Senate has already passed an immigration reform bill that included a 13-year path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people who are in the country illegally.

"A lot of people are saying, just pass the Senate bill," Ryan said. "That's not what the House is going to do.

"I think we can make it better."

"I'm not doing this for politics," Ryan later said. "I think it's the right thing to do for the country."

Ryan said in the House, where the Republicans are in the majority, the intent "is to bring about five or six bills...to fix these problems in our immigration laws one step at a time in a comprehensive way."

Ryan said negotiations are underway to bring "these various bills to the floor of Congress."

"Tentatively, October, we're going to vote on these bills," Ryan said. "We're going to vote on a a border security bill, we're going to vote on an interior enforcement bill, like the workplace verification and the visa tracking. We're going to vote on a legal immigration bill for visas, for agricultural workers, for skilled workers."

Ryan also said: "We're going to vote on a bill to legalize people who are undocumented."

Under such a plan, those who are here illegally would have to wait a minimum of 15 years to gain citizenship, two years longer than the Senate version of immigration reform. But they would be eligible to receive a "probationary visa" Ryan said.

"We want to give people an ability to come out of the shadows and get themselves right with the law," he said.

Ryan was asked by an audience member for his reaction to the controversial comments made by Republican congressman Steve King of Iowa. During an interview with the conservative online site Newsmax, King derided the idea of creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented children, also known as "dreamers."

King said, "For every one who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that, they weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."

Ryan said, "Representative King's remarks, I disagree with, I disavow, and they're wrong."

Ryan answered around a dozen questions from the predominantly Hispanic audience. A woman provided simultaneous translation in Spanish for a small segment of the crowd.

"It is encouraging that he is really taking leadership on this issue to try move a bill this year," said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of the pro-immigration group, Voces de la Frontera. "I feel it's important for someone in his position to continue to articulate the economic benefits of immigration reform for everyone and the moral imperative to do this."

One young immigrant, a "dreamer," voiced frustration with Ryan over a 15-year path to citizenship. Another "dreamer," Valeria Ruiz, 17, of Racine, prodded the congressman on deportations that divide families.

Gustavo Vargas, 35, a Mexican-born laborer who lives in Racine, told Ryan of his yearning to become an American citizen and of the decision he made back in 2004 to bury his infant son in the United States.

"Listening to him, looking him in the eye, seeing his sincerity, what I get coming to me is, this is the American Dream, this is the American ideal," Ryan said.

Later, Vargas said he spoke up because he wanted to let the congressman know "how hard it is to be an immigrant and how hard it is to be a father and try to support a family."

Ryan said that he wants to fix the immigration system "once and for all so that we don't have the same problem 10 years from now."

Ryan told reporters he understood why some people in the crowd were critical of the 15-year time period to citizenship.

"We want to make sure we're fair to the legal immigrant," he said. "We want to make sure the law does not reward people for quote, unquote, cutting in line. We want to make sure that that person who came here legally in the first place who waited patiently, that they're respected by being at the front of the line."

Ryan added, "So yes it may be difficult and it might take 15 years for a person to get right. But I think that's a pretty good deal given that we have all these undocumented Americans."


http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepo...217134531.html

Let them have their dreams in their own country. The American dream does not belong to every person. Let those who dream demand of their countries or seek to enter any nation legally.

Why doesn't Paul Ryan look into the eyes of his constituents that have lost their jobs to illegal aliens. Why doesn't he look into the eyes of their children. Why doesn't he look into the eyes of victims of illegal aliens? Americans have sad stories in their own lives. He should try to make their lives better, to assist them in fulfilling their dreams without competition from illegal aliens. Paul Ryan should not be party to pushing illegal aliens ahead of Americans and legal residents. This is where they will be though as we have seen with the groups supporting them and the media who pushes the hype of division, etc. Saying that they will be at the end of the line is not to be believed as the other promises are not to be believed.

Paul Ryan wants to use sharp scissors on social security and Medicare. He and Marco Rubio apparently don't mind however, to spend billions for the ongoing rewards and processing for millions of illegal aliens. Millions of illegal aliens will continue to send billions of dollars in remittances out of the United States to benefit other nations. States will continue to bleed dollars to deal with illegal aliens, even if granted some type of legalization. There is no serious talk of ending birthright citizenship from Rep. Ryan or other amnesty schemers. It is such a farce to think that legalization for a small number would not include the majority when it goes through the hands of Washington.

It not right for Congress to represent illegal aliens. It is not right for taxpayers to continue to suffer the consequences of the very deliberate plan from 1986 to not truly secure the borders or enforce laws against illegal immigration.

Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker, John Boehner, Eric Cantor, other Republicans and Democrats are assisting Mexico with Reconquista, assisting drug cartels, smugglers, terrorists with access to the nation through porous borders and ports, allowing visa overstayers and others to flaunt the immigration laws.

There is an obvious cynical effort to weaken opposition to amnesty by splitting it away from other conservative issue. Thus there is Rubio for every conservative issue EXCEPT AMNESTY and Paul Ryan champion of fiscal responsibility but FOR MEGA BUCKS TO IMPLEMENT A MASS AMNESTY, and others. It is vital that illegal aliens LEAVE THE COUNTRY otherwise any other laws are meaningless. It is, as they say, "closing the bard door after the horse has run off."

There is not one single piece of proposed legislation to require illegal aliens to leave the country. Even Rand Paul ridicules those who want illegals to leave by saying "They (illegal aliens) are not going home." Oh, really? and why is that, Mr. Paul? Because politicians like you have no intention of proposing legislation to make them? It can be done humanely of course "turn off the magnet." But apparently Mr. Paul chooses to ignore that inconvenient option; he says, "What do they (people who want illegals to leave) want us to do, put them in concentration camps...?"

Many people think Rand Paul is this great libertarian freedom fighter --I do not. If illegal aliens are not required to leave the country, then they get to stay indefinitely and legally and that is amnesty. Because amnesty will be massive it will devastate our society and the conservative movement. You can not be a freedom fighter and for a nation killing, conservative killing mass amnesty. You can not be a conservative and for amnesty-- period!
What was that British advertisement? Something like: (illegal aliens) go home or be arrested.

That is the kind of immigration policy our government should promote. And not even the great Rand Paul has the courage and honesty to promote it. I think because he is getting all mushy with visions of sugar plums and the Presidency dancing in his head.

Paul Ryan is a good example of why we have an illegal aliens crisis in the first place. They absolutely insist on shoving through an amnesty for illegal aliens, attached or unattached, but always pushing for amnesty.

Illegal aliens must leave the country -- period! Secure the border and enforce e-verify and shut down the businesses who knowingly hire illegal aliens. And why is that we can not station National Guard troops along the border? Is it not the function of the Guard to defend our country? And is it not true that our border needs defending? Mr. "suit" Ryan don't lecture me about what is "fair" or "the right thing to do" you and your amnesty and your manicured hair and trimmed finger nails.

Americans are going without jobs and without dignity; they are being shoved aside so you and your ilk can gush about the supposed plight of illegal aliens. Americans who are being raped, murdered, kidnapped, beaten, robbed because you will not perform the most basic requirement of governance, protect our citizens by securing the border; stop your incessant push for amnesty, always amnesty --all 6.3 trillion dollars cost, worth of it, all 30 eventually 50 million foreigners worth of it. Why? because, "it is the right thing to do."

With all due respect Mr. Ryan -- shut your mouth, we aint listening anymore, do your damn job, secure the damn border and make the illegals go home.

Added to Homepage with amended title--

http://www.alipac.us/content/paul-ry...-meeting-2113/

The obvious plan is to get this to Conference, where the (still weak) security/enforcement measures would be watered down and/or obliterated and the mass amnesty would be immediate. But this would allow many Republicans to say they voted for enforcement, even if they don't vote for the terribly flawed mass amnesty final product -- that would be passed by a majority of Democrats and the RINOs such as Paul Ryan.

We must let them know that we are on to their cynical games and ANY bill that goes to Conference is unacceptable and a vote for amnesty.