Thread: Senate Bypasses Security for Immigration

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060516/ap_ ... mmigration

Senate Bypasses Security for Immigration

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Buoyed by
President Bush, supporters of immigration legislation established command in the Senate on Tuesday, brushing aside potentially crippling challenges to a bill that blends tougher border enforcement with a path to citizenship for millions in the United States illegally.
ADVERTISEMENT

"It was a good way to start," said Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo. as a shifting bipartisan coalition held firm against attacks from the left and the right.

On a vote of 55-40 that crossed party lines, the Senate rejected an appeal from Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., to require the border be secured before other immigration law changes could take place.

Anything less would mean "a wink and a nod one more time to those who would come here" unlawfully, said the Georgia Republican. The bill's supporters said he had it backward. "We have to have a comprehensive approach if we're going to gain control of the borders," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., echoing Bush's remarks of the night before.

Hours later, Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D., made an unsuccessful effort to exclude foreigners and recent illegal immigrants from a new guest worker program that could provide jobs for millions over the next decade. "This bill is going to allow illegal workers to come in stamped as legal," he said, but the vote was 69-28 to scuttle his amendment.

The maneuvering took place at the beginning of what Senate leaders predicted would be a lengthy debate over the most significant changes in immigration law in two decades, an election-year issue that has laid bare deep divisions inside both parties and sparked street demonstrations across the country.

The Senate bill provides additional funds for border security, the guest worker program, an eventual opportunity at citizenship for most of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the country and a tougher program of enforcement to prevent the hiring of illegal workers. Senate passage appears likely by Memorial Day.

Republicans and Democrats alike heralded Bush's Monday night Oval Office prime time speech as a turning point, at least as far as the Senate was concerned. The president announced plans to deploy as many as 6,000 National Guard troops in states along the Mexican border, and made his first unambiguous endorsement of a plan to allow millions of immigrants an eventual chance at citizenship as part of a comprehensive approach to the issue.

Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., Cuban-born and a supporter of the bill, said Bush had "solidified some votes" among Republicans. He predicted that the legislation's supporters had the strength needed to defeat all killer amendments.

"The president gets it," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., although he and other Democrats were quick to raise doubts about the commitment of numerous congressional Republicans to the approach Bush outlined.

There was ample room for doubt, as Democrats fretted that any Senate-passed bill would be changed beyond all recognition in later negotiations with House Republicans who favor a border security-only approach.

"Thinly veiled attempts to promote amnesty cannot be tolerated,' said Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, voicing the sentiment that prevails among many House Republicans. "While America is a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws, and rewarding those who break our laws not only dishonors the hard work of those who came here legally but does nothing to fix our current situation."

But for now, the focus was on the Senate, where Republican and Democratic critics took to attacking the bill without success.

Isakson went first, brushing aside claims that in seeking to assure the border was under control, he was asking for the impossible. "Listen, this country put a man on the moon in nine years. This country responded to the terrorist attacks on 9-11 within three weeks. This country can do anything it sets its mind to."

Sen. John Cornyn (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, one of the most outspoken opponents of the bill, said Isakson's proposal was designed to "put the horse in front of the cart, not the cart in front of the horse. Let's do first things first."

Democrats led the counter-attack. The party's leader, Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) of Nevada, called it a "killer amendment." Salazar added, "In the past, for the last 20 years when we've tried to approach immigration issue by only looking at one issue at a time, we have failed." Like many other Democrats during the day, he referred favorably to Bush's speech, and said a "comprehensive approach was needed."

Isakson's proposal drew the support of 36 Democrats and 18 Republicans as well as one independent. Opposed were 33 Republicans and seven Democrats. The entire senior GOP leadership voted in favor of the proposal, including Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee and
Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, who heads the GOP campaign committee.

"The president needs to talk to his own leaders here if he wants comprehensive immigration reform," jabbed Reid. "We've got a lot of tough votes coming up."

Frist seemed undeterred, a potential White House challenger courting conservatives for 2008, yet the leader of Senate Republican who pledges support for Bush's approach. "...Border security first, foremost. We've got to do it as part of a comprehensive plan," he told reporters. At the same time, he signaled acceptance of a portion of the bill that displeases conservatives, the part that allows some illegal immigrants to gain citizenship without leaving the country.

Eager to ward off any political danger, opponents of Isakson's proposal countered with a proposal that said none of the law's changes could take effect unless the president declared they were in the country's national interest. It passed, 79-16.

Dorgan's attack on the guest worker program went down to a defeat led by Republicans. He said the guest worker program was the price supporters had paid to win the endorsement of the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"The reason is that there are interests that support this bill only on the condition that we allow low wage workers to come in the back door at the same time we export high wage workers outside the front door," said Dorgan, one of the Senate's most persistent critics of the Bush administration's trade policy.

Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., said Dorgan was attacking a key element of the balanced approach that Bush had outlined.

JP do you know how to find the voting record for this. Sure would like to see what Burr and Dole did.

The bill's supporters said he had it backward. "We have to have a comprehensive approach if we're going to gain control of the borders," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., echoing Bush's remarks of the night before.

As usual, Teddy has no clue.
You have to gain control of the borders before you do anything else.

The top thing on Teddy's bio is his ability to drive cars off bridges.

If all the illegals (law breakers) get pardoned (amnesty) , then shouldn't all Americans deserve at least 1 pardon also??

Originally Posted by Charlesoakisland

JP do you know how to find the voting record for this. Sure would like to see what Burr and Dole did.

Grouped by Home State
Alabama: Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Alaska: Murkowski (R-AK), Nay Stevens (R-AK), Nay
Arizona: Kyl (R-AZ), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting
Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Nay Pryor (D-AR), Nay
California: Boxer (D-CA), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Nay
Colorado: Allard (R-CO), Yea Salazar (D-CO), Nay
Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Nay Lieberman (D-CT), Nay
Delaware: Biden (D-DE), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay
Florida: Martinez (R-FL), Nay Nelson (D-FL), Nay
Georgia: Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea
Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Idaho: Craig (R-ID), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Yea
Illinois: Durbin (D-IL), Nay Obama (D-IL), Nay
Indiana: Bayh (D-IN), Nay Lugar (R-IN), Nay
Iowa: Grassley (R-IA), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Nay
Kansas: Brownback (R-KS), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Kentucky: Bunning (R-KY), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Maine: Collins (R-ME), Nay Snowe (R-ME), Nay
Maryland: Mikulski (D-MD), Nay Sarbanes (D-MD), Nay
Massachusetts: Kennedy (D-MA), Nay Kerry (D-MA), Nay
Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Nay Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota: Coleman (R-MN), Nay Dayton (D-MN), Nay
Mississippi: Cochran (R-MS), Not Voting Lott (R-MS), Not Voting
Missouri: Bond (R-MO), Yea Talent (R-MO), Yea
Montana: Baucus (D-MT), Nay Burns (R-MT), Yea
Nebraska: Hagel (R-NE), Nay Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Nevada: Ensign (R-NV), Yea Reid (D-NV), Nay
New Hampshire: Gregg (R-NH), Not Voting Sununu (R-NH), Yea
New Jersey: Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Nay
New Mexico: Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Domenici (R-NM), Yea
New York: Clinton (D-NY), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay
North Carolina: Burr (R-NC), Yea Dole (R-NC), Yea
North Dakota: Conrad (D-ND), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Ohio: DeWine (R-OH), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Oklahoma: Coburn (R-OK), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea
Oregon: Smith (R-OR), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania: Santorum (R-PA), Yea Specter (R-PA), Nay
Rhode Island: Chafee (R-RI), Nay Reed (D-RI), Nay
South Carolina: DeMint (R-SC), Yea Graham (R-SC), Nay
South Dakota: Johnson (D-SD), Nay Thune (R-SD), Yea
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea Frist (R-TN), Yea
Texas: Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Utah: Bennett (R-UT), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Vermont: Jeffords (I-VT), Nay Leahy (D-VT), Nay
Virginia: Allen (R-VA), Yea Warner (R-VA), Nay
Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Murray (D-WA), Nay
West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV), Not Voting
Wisconsin: Feingold (D-WI), Nay Kohl (D-WI), Nay
Wyoming: Enzi (R-WY), Yea Thomas (R-WY), Yea

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/r ... vote=00121

ALSO, GET ON THE PHONES! Here is what is on their agneda tommorow.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006
9:15 a.m.: Convene and resume consideration of S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill.

Originally Posted by dataman

The bill's supporters said he had it backward. "We have to have a comprehensive approach if we're going to gain control of the borders," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., echoing Bush's remarks of the night before.

As usual, Teddy has no clue.
You have to gain control of the borders before you do anything else.

You're absolutely right!!

Let's say you come home to find that the faucet is running in your bathroom tub and it's overflowing onto the floor. What do you do first - grab a mop and start mopping up, or do you turn off the faucet?

SECURE THE BORDER!!!

After that we can deal with the problems in the interior.

There is no such thing as a practical solution or a common sense approach when government is involved. Remember the job of government is take any thing that is simple and complicate the hell out of it. Government, common sense and logic are oxymorons and we also are dealing with a lot of morons as well.

Originally Posted by patbrunz

Originally Posted by dataman

The bill's supporters said he had it backward. "We have to have a comprehensive approach if we're going to gain control of the borders," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., echoing Bush's remarks of the night before.

As usual, Teddy has no clue.
You have to gain control of the borders before you do anything else.

You're absolutely right!!

Let's say you come home to find that the faucet is running in your bathroom tub and it's overflowing onto the floor. What do you do first - grab a mop and start mopping up, or do you turn off the faucet?

SECURE THE BORDER!!!

After that we can deal with the problems in the interior.

Ted Kennedy would drive a car into it !!!

Originally Posted by mrmiata7

There is no such thing as a practical solution or a common sense approach when government is involved. Remember the job of government is take any thing that is simple and complicate the hell out of it. Government, common sense and logic are oxymorons and we also are dealing with a lot of morons as well.

Umm. . . so you're advocating no government?