Thread: Senate Votes Unanimously to Exclude Convicts from Amnesty

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/....ap/index.html


Senate votes to exclude convicts from immigration plan
Measures pass unanimously after language softened

Wednesday, May 17, 2006; Posted: 12:42 p.m. EDT (16:42 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate voted Wednesday to exclude illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors from a proposed program that would allow undocumented workers to gain legal status.

The unanimous vote on an amendment that before Easter had been considered a "poison pill" provided added momentum for broad immigration bill that would give legal status to millions of illegal immigrants and put many of them on a path toward citizenship.

The amendment by two of the bill's leading opponents, Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas, was softened Tuesday in negotiations with the legislation's supporters. The sponsors agreed to include exceptions for hardship cases and those who didn't know a deportation order had been issued for them, winning the additional support.

"We want to keep those who could harm us, the criminal element, out," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., one of the authors of the bill. "Those who could benefit us ought to remain."

Critics of the legislation aren't giving up, however, and planned to keep trying to reshape the bill.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, offered an amendment Wednesday that would erect more fencing along the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border, an idea similar to one in an enforcement-only bill passed by the House in December.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, said Wednesday that lawmakers increasingly realize the need for a comprehensive plan that goes beyond trying to stop people at the border.

"If you just try to build a wall 30 feet high and 2,000 miles long, it will be insufficient. People will go up over it, around it, in order to get a job in this country," Frist said on CBS' "The Early Show."

Meanwhile, immigration advocates poured into Washington by the thousands to lobby lawmakers and hold a late afternoon rally within site of the Capitol and the White House.

The Senate bill authorizes additional spending on border security, a guest worker program, an eventual opportunity at citizenship for most of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country, and tougher enforcement of laws prohibiting hiring of illegal workers. Senate passage appears likely by Memorial Day.

Opponents of granting legal status to most of the nation's illegal immigrants planned other amendments but said the big fight will occur when negotiators try to merge the Senate bill with the House's enforcement-only legislation.

"Ultimately we all understand where this bill is going to be written. It's going to be written in the conference committee between the House and the Senate," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

House Republicans remained unyielding in their opposition to legalization.

"Thinly veiled attempts to promote amnesty cannot be tolerated," said Rep. Tom Price of Georgia. "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."

Bill backers on Tuesday defeated two amendments that would have gutted the Senate bill. In votes that crossed party lines, the Senate rejected 55-40 a requirement that the border be secured before other immigration changes are made. They also voted 69-28 to scuttle a Democratic amendment to exclude foreigners and recent illegal immigrants from a new guest worker program.

The Senate also approved on a voice vote an amendment reducing the number of foreigners who could participate in the guest worker program annually from at least 325,000 to no more than 200,000. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., also won approval for his proposal to add 1,000 more Border Patrol agents this year, 100 helicopters and 250 power boats.

President Bush gave the debate momentum by announcing in a prime-time speech Monday a plan to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops to southwestern border states to support the Border Patrol.

The proposal to use Guard troops in the four states bordering Mexico drew mixed reaction in Congress. Pentagon officials insisted the duty would not overtax the guard or interfere with preparations for combat, but some in Congress worried it would stretch the Guard too thin.

Bush's new press secretary, Tony Snow, said Wednesday he thinks a compromise can be reached on the complex legislation.

"I think the answer is yes," Snow said when asked on NBC's "Today" show if a deal can be achieved. "In point of fact, what the president is proposing in terms of border security is more aggressive" than what the House has proposed, he said.

Oh thank you Masters! Thank you! You are such generous masters!

Um? Did you also allocate the billions of tax dollars it will require to conduct extensive background checks on 12 million people?

Will these background checks for felons help us much with the illegals that come from communities with no computers and not everyone has power and running water?

What about the large portions of Mexico where nobody is being arrested for anything? Will these unfunded background checks indicate the felons from the 3rd world poverty areas?

This is all a big lie and a distraction for the real problem which is non enforcement of our existing laws.

W

I can hear the open border lobby already--"but to exclude our convicted felons from the amnestia is racist, you'll be ripping apart our families, how can you punish the children like this for the crimes of their father/mother." Ay carumba! They won't like this one little bit! Kind of makes me giggle though to think about them going out to defend their convicted felons from deportation!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12835010/from/RS.4/

Senate adds curbs to immigration plan
Amendment to bill excludes ex-felons from chance at staying in U.S.

Updated: 11:34 a.m. ET May 17, 2006
WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Wednesday to exclude illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors from a chance at remaining in the United States under what critics say is an amnesty program.

The unanimous vote on an amendment that before Easter had been considered a “poison pill” provided added momentum for broad immigration bill that would give legal status to millions of illegal immigrants and put many of them on a path toward citizenship.

The amendment by two of the bill’s leading opponents, Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas, was softened Tuesday in negotiations with the legislation’s supporters. The sponsors agreed to include exceptions for hardship cases and those who didn’t know a deportation order had been issued for them, winning the additional support.

Story continues below ↓
“We want to keep those who could harm us, the criminal element, out,” said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., one of the authors of the bill. “Those who could benefit us ought to remain.”

Critics of the legislation aren’t giving up, however, and planned to keep trying to reshape the bill.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., offered an amendment Wednesday that would erect more fencing along the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border, an idea similar to one in an enforcement-only bill passed by the House in December.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said Wednesday that lawmakers increasingly realize the need for a comprehensive plan that goes beyond trying to stop people at the border.

“If you just try to build a wall 30 feet high and 2,000 miles long, it will be insufficient. People will go up over it, around it, in order to get a job in this country,” Frist said on CBS’ “The Early Show.”

Lobbying lawmakers
Meanwhile, immigration advocates poured into Washington by the thousands to lobby lawmakers and hold a late afternoon rally within site of the Capitol and the White House.

The Senate bill authorizes additional spending on border security, a guest worker program, an eventual opportunity at citizenship for most of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country, and tougher enforcement of laws prohibiting hiring of illegal workers. Senate passage appears likely by Memorial Day.

Opponents of granting legal status to most of the nation’s illegal immigrants planned other amendments but said the big fight will occur when negotiators try to merge the Senate bill with the House’s enforcement-only legislation.



“Thinly veiled attempts to promote amnesty cannot be tolerated,” said Rep. Tom Price of Georgia. “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.”

Bill backers on Tuesday defeated two amendments that would have gutted the Senate bill. In votes that crossed party lines, the Senate rejected 55-40 a requirement that the border be secured before other immigration changes are made. They also voted 69-28 to scuttle a Democratic amendment to exclude foreigners and recent illegal immigrants from a new guest worker program.

The Senate also approved on a voice vote an amendment reducing the number of foreigners who could participate in the guest worker program annually from at least 325,000 to no more than 200,000. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., also won approval for his proposal to add 1,000 more Border Patrol agents this year, 100 helicopters and 250 power boats.

President Bush gave the debate momentum by announcing in a prime-time speech Monday a plan to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops to southwestern border states to support the Border Patrol.

The proposal to use Guard troops in the four states bordering Mexico drew mixed reaction in Congress. Pentagon officials insisted the duty would not overtax the guard or interfere with preparations for combat, but some in Congress worried it would stretch the Guard too thin.

Bush’s new press secretary, Tony Snow, said Wednesday he thinks a compromise can be reached on the complex legislation.

“I think the answer is yes,” Snow said when asked on NBC’s “Today” show if a deal can be achieved. “In point of fact, what the president is proposing in terms of border security is more aggressive” than what the House has proposed, he said.

The Associated Press and MSNBC's Mike Viqueira contributed to this report.

This is ironic since law enforcement is still trying to locate the illegals in the USA that have been here since the last time Congress granted amnesty in 1986. Remember that you can not get a conviction until you have a person in custody. This is more smoke and mirrors by Congress. If there were no illegals in the USA, then there would be no need to be spending tax dollars to find the law breakers in order to get a conviction against them. My belief is that too many members of Congress still do not understand. I am also wondering what the beliefs of candidates, that are running to unseat the incumbants, is regarding allowing or not allowing any illegal immigrants to remain on USA soil. There is not much time to find out before the next election or for filing new candidate petitions to be on the Fall 2006 General Election ballot.

Originally Posted by GOV1Lawman

This is ironic since law enforcement is still trying to locate the illegals in the USA that have been here since the last time Congress granted amnesty in 1986. Remember that you can not get a conviction until you have a person in custody. This is more smoke and mirrors by Congress. If there were no illegals in the USA, then there would be no need to be spending tax dollars to find the law breakers in order to get a conviction against them. My belief is that too many members of Congress still do not understand. I am also wondering what the beliefs of candidates, that are running to unseat the incumbants, is regarding allowing or not allowing any illegal immigrants to remain on USA soil. There is not much time to find out before the next election or for filing new candidate petitions to be on the Fall 2006 General Election ballot.

Exactly! That is what I thought was so ironic about Bush's speech. He laid out the great (sarcasm) plan, but didn't hint to how it would be accomplished or paid for.

I also agree with you that many STILL just dont' get it. I don't understand how they can't?!! It is so disheartening.

The argument about illegals being seperated from their family members is also ironic since many have already done that to their own family now. They left some in the country that they came from.

There is a web-site called MATT.org which claims to be neutral on the illegal immigration issue but is actually supporting the illegals. Thay have a link called Mexican Perspective which has a letter by a Roberto Morris who wrote about Mexican wives still living in Mexico who are angry that their illegal husbands who are in the USa have not been sending back money to them as they promised to do. Many of these Mexican wives now want to also come to the USA illegally to find their husband and connect with them.

The USA court system is experiencing a greater number of Hispanic/Latino women filing for seperation or divorce from their husbands.

So much for the argument that they want to be together!

Wow. I am so relieved they are not going to give criminals amnesty. Boy they did accomplish alot today on the floor of the senate. I think they need to take the rest of the day off. This one must have taxed their limits of their intelligence.

Exactly! That is what I thought was so ironic about Bush's speech. He laid out the great (sarcasm) plan, but didn't hint to how it would be accomplished or paid for.

That is the wonderful thing about our plan. Enforce the laws! Prosecute employers, deport illegals as they are found, cut off social programs. The enormous burden on the system would be relieved therefore freeing up money to deports the illegals and secure the border.

Just a question. How many of you believe the line that we cannot secure the border?

My opinion. This is the greatest most powerful country to ever grace planet Earth and I am to believe that we cannot secure our own borders. Hogwash.

I agree William, this is a bunch of BS. This will do nothing, but clog our systems up for years on end and in the end, they will just start approving every application to clear the backlogs. Here's a concept for the idiots in the House of Lords, if your illegal, you get deported. Oh wait, that would actually require common sense which we know the ruling elite don't have.

Senate votes to exclude convicts from immigration plan
Measures pass unanimously after language softened

The ACLU will get this taken out the day after it's signed by Bush.

The amendment by two of the bill's leading opponents, Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas, was softened Tuesday in negotiations with the legislation's supporters. The sponsors agreed to include exceptions for hardship cases and those who didn't know a deportation order had been issued for them, winning the additional support.

Don't be fooled! These exceptions make a hole big enough to herd 12 million illegal aliens through it. The only reason someone wouldn't know they had a deportation order, is because they did not show up for their ordered court date. These people are called absconders, and under current law are eligible for immediate deportation. As for "hardship cases", anyone can claim hardship if they are to be deported. In other words, this ammendment is totally useless and will affect almost no one.

Everytime these Senators act, they show absolute contempt for the American people.