Thread: Senate panel adds immigration measure to Iraq supplemental

The Hill
Senate panel adds immigration measure to Iraq supplemental
By Manu Raju
Posted: 05/15/08 04:06 PM [ET]

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday added to an Iraq spending bill a controversial provision to help pave the way for undocumented agriculture workers to win legal status, a move that may reopen the divisive immigration debate on the Senate floor.

The so-called Ag-Jobs amendment, sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho), would create a process that allows undocumented workers to continue to work on farms. Without the amendment, Feinstein warned that the U.S. would lose $5-9 billion to foreign competition, tens of thousands of farms would shut down and 80,000 workers would be transferred to Mexico. The bill would sunset in five years.

"Agriculture needs a consistent workforce," Feinstein said. "Without it, they can't plant, they can't prune, they can't pick and they can't pack.

"This is an emergency situation," she added.

The amendment was approved by a 17-12 vote with defections from both parties. Critics say the amendment amounts to amnesty for people who entered the country illegally. A broader comprehensive immigration overhaul, with a path for citizenship for the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, failed in a divisive Senate vote last year.

"No matter how one characterizes it, this enormous amendment still amounts to amnesty," said Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). "I oppose amnesty. All these immigration issues should be addressed through the regular order."

The committee is moving Thursday to approve three separate measures: one to fund domestic priorities; another to provide $169 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and a third to alter President Bush's war policy.

The Senate plans to take up the bills next week, and is likely to reject the war policy measure, but will likely approve the funding for the wars.

It is unclear whether Democrats have the votes to approve the domestic-spending provision since a number of Republicans want to add their priorities. The measure remains one of the few vehicles likely to get enacted before the election in November. The addition of a slew of amendments could doom its prospects in the Senate.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/sen ... 05-15.html

The amendment was approved in committee. It hasn't been approved in the Senate floor. The battle is not over!
Call your senator and tell them not to vote for the Feinstein amnesty amendment.

I receive alerts from the United Farm Workers (just to know what the oppostion is planning), and I have not received an alert from them regarding this amendment. The opposition is not aware of this. Take advantage and dominate the phone lines!

From FAIR:

Breaking News: Senate to Consider Partial Amnesty for Agricultural Workers

Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) obtained passage today of an amendment to the Iraq supplemental appropriations bill to provide partial amnesty for illegal immigrants working in agriculture. The amendment would provide legal status for 1.35 million agricultural workers and lessen current protections for Americans and new foreign workers taking agricultural jobs. The amendment was adopted 17-15 in the Appropriations Committee and will be part of the bill put to the full Senate for a vote. In a parallel move, apparently Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is attempting to use a similar amendment to reopen temporary visas for unskilled workers outside the annual ceiling.

[FAIR Comment: Experience with partial amnesty provisions of this type demonstrate that partial amnesties become permanent amnesties at the end of the ‘temporary’ period. The argument becomes that the U.S. has allowed these people to put down roots and it would be unfair to try to uproot them now.]

steinreport

ALIPAC RED ALERT!

AMNESTY WARNING. PLEASE TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION.

We have just learned that sellout Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho) have successfully inserted the "Ag Jobs" amnesty components into a defense spending bill.

This amendment has been accepted by the Senate Appropriations Committee and has been added to an Iraq War spending bill.

They could vote on the spending bill today or tomorrow. If the bill passes with this language included it will grant a form of AMNESTY to millions of illegal aliens working on farms.

Take immediate action.

1. Call Dianne Feinstein and Larry Craig and give their staff an earful within reason. Follow-up your call with an e-mail or fax.

2. Call both of your US Senators immediately. If you get a voicemail, leave a message. Tell your Senators NO AG JOBS AMNESTY! NO DEFENSE SPENDING BILL WITH AG JOBS IN IT! Make sure you call, and immediately send a written complaint after calling.

3. Then proceed to call as many other members of the US Senate as possible with the same message. Call them all if you can.

We need a strong and immediate reaction from across the nation to this move by Feinstein and Craig!

Article with details.
Senate panel adds immigration measure to Iraq supplemental
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-115577.html


ALIPAC's Senate Contact Information List
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-63874.html


Let's Roll!

(prepared in haste by)
The ALIPAC Team
www.alipac.us

Sending info to talk radio. Please chip in and forward to your contacts after you complete above.

This should be absolutely criminal to attach this Ag Jobs amnesty component into an defense spending bill. It's certainly sneaky and cowardly! Feinstein was determined to get this passed, irrespective of what here constituents have expressed!


Sending e-mails now...

I'd jump all over this but my senators are Obama and Durbin.

I was told on the phone after a call to Larry Craig's office :

"...that if I don't support this bill, troops will die in the field...So its up to me to support it."

To which I replied : "thanks for revealing your strategy in a most elementary fashion, but if you get amnesty passed you will have to deal with some consequences you are not prepared to deal with"

They are being vile, snotty and viscious. This is probably the most critical issue we have encountered yet. To hell with Craig the coward!

If that's their goal, granting amnesty to illegal workers & employers is a great way to do it. It's also a great way to lose Democratic Party registration. They're certainly close to losing this Democrat.

Economic Populist Forum

Originally Posted by ReggieMay

I'd jump all over this but my senators are Obama and Durbin.

Call other Senators' office tonight, tomorrow and leave messages as a US taxpayer. Call, e-mail, fax whatever -- every bit helps.