Thread: Senate GOP plans to unveil tough new immigration bills

Senate GOP plans to unveil tough new immigration bills

Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans are set to announce Wednesday the hardest-hitting package of immigration enforcement measures seen yet — one that would require jail time for illegal immigrants caught crossing the border, make it harder for them to open bank accounts and compel them to communicate in English when dealing with federal agencies.

Most of the bills stand little chance of being debated in the Democrat-controlled Congress, but the move by some of the Senate’s leading Republicans underscores how potent the issue of immigration remains, particularly during a presidential election year.

The bills give Republicans a way to put pressure on the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to take a tougher stance on immigration. They also reflect a shift toward harsher immigration rhetoric and legislative proposals from both parties since Congress failed to pass a comprehensive overhaul in 2007.

The package, an enforcement smorgasbord assembled by at least eight lawmakers, consists of 11 bills, but could expand to include as many as 14. Some elements echo House bills, but others go beyond House proposals.

One would discourage states from issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants by docking 10 percent of highway funding from states that continue to do so. Another would extend the presence of National Guard on the border and a third would end language assistance at federal agencies and the voting booth for people with limited English ability.

A bill by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who is leading the effort, would impose a maximum two-year jail sentence on someone caught crossing the border for a second time.

“The point is to reinforce the idea that most of us here feel that we need to make enforcement and border security a first step to solving the overall problem,â€

Maybe just maybe the Senators and Congressman know that the only chance they have to survive another election is to start moving now. I will never ever vote for McCain. As far as I am concerned a whole lot of people better start getting conservative or they frankly are gone.

( LE you know you're going to get hit for the link)

BUT THAT ASIDE:

YES!!!!

IT'S ABOUT TIME AS LONG AS THEY DON'T PULL ANY SHAMNESTY TRICKS!

Thanks LawEnforcer. Good catch.

Besides Sessions and Vitter,
the bills are being introduced by GOP Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee John Barrasso of Wyoming,
Saxby Chambliss of Georgia,
Jim DeMint of South Carolina,
Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina,
Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico,
James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma and
Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania

Interesting development. Something to watch for sure...

LawEnforcer - Do you have a link to that article or was it something that you rec'd via email? I searched the AZCentral site but couldn't seem to find it.
(Thanks)

Originally Posted by PhredE

Thanks LawEnforcer. Good catch.

Besides Sessions and Vitter,
the bills are being introduced by GOP Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee John Barrasso of Wyoming,
Saxby Chambliss of Georgia,
Jim DeMint of South Carolina,
Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina,
Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico,
James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma and
Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania

Interesting development. Something to watch for sure...

Look for Specter to shove amnesty in there somehow. He's always voted AGAINST enforcing the laws against illegal aliens.

Take away any and all incentives/subsidies for illegal aliens.

NO AMNESTY!

Other bills in the package would:

• Block federal funding from cities that bar their police from asking about immigration status.

• Give the Department of Homeland Security the authority to use information from the Social Security Administration to target illegal immigrants.

• Require construction of 700 miles of fencing along the Southern border, not including vehicle barriers.

• Impose sanctions on countries that refuse to repatriate their citizens.

• Deport any immigrant, legal or illegal, for one drunken-driving conviction.

• Enable local and state police to enforce federal immigration laws

• Give the Department of Homeland Security the authority to use information from the Selective Service and IRS as well as Social Security.

"The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence." Article IV Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.

the GOP Senate and Congress better be shaking in thier shorts and thier only hope to stay in office is to do something, anything quick to appease the base....

McCain is cooked, he will lose by a landslide... America is Sick of Bush and anything closly resembling him

McCain is Bush on Steroids

Yes, I agree on that MyAmerica. Those changes in itself would do a lot to shut down the document fraud and illegal employment (assuming there's some enforcement to back up that info sharing...) and would really make a significant dent in the overall problem.

This is very good news. They're going on offense even though the OBL side is gearing up for their amnesty 'full court press'. Once again, Senators Session, Vitter, DeMint, etc. stand up and do the right thing

Found the link to the story:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 04-ON.html