Thread: TN SENATORS LAMAR ALEXANDER AND BOB CORKER

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URL: http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/ ... 05,00.html


Alexander urges Democrats to stay at immigration talks

By ROBERT WILSON, rlwilson2594@msn.com
June 27, 2007

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on Tuesday called on the Democratic leadership of the Senate to keep debate open on the immigration bill "as long as it takes to get it right."
In a conference call with journalists after the Senate vote to shut off debate, the Tennessee Republican said the bill must "meet my criteria" before it will get his vote.

Among those criteria are:

n Secure the border in a "verifiable" way.

n Remove any amnesty provision.

n Establish a mandatory employee verification system for companies hiring foreign workers.

Tennessee's other senator, Bob Corker, also voted against cloture.

Alexander proposes that a commission of four border-state governors be set up to verify that new security measures are working, and he said illegal immigrants in the U.S., numbering about 12 million by most counts, must pay a fine, go back to their country of origin, pass a criminal background check, and apply for legal status to work in the U.S.

He said a biometric card system should be implemented so legal immigrants can identify themselves, and he wants employers to be required to "know that everyone they are hiring is legally here" or face penalties.

That way, Alexander said, if illegal immigrants cannot find work, in theory they will go home.

"This is a problem that was created by 20 years of neglect from Washington," Alexander said.

He added that it is increasingly possible that the immigration bill, a 700-page document that has just received a 300-page amendment, may need to be broken up into multiple pieces of legislation.

"Congress may be biting off more than it can chew," he said.

Alexander said President Bush's efforts over the past several days to revive the bill after an initial cloture vote failed has kept the focus on the immigration issue.

"Anytime a president thinks an issue is important enough to be first on his list" focuses attention on it and "galvanizes the country," he said. "I respect the president's views, but I am going to make up my own mind."

Alexander also said the United States must make it easier for "highly skilled workers to come to America," which, he added, will help create jobs. But he also said the nation should "expect and assist" them to "become Americans by speaking our language and appreciating our history and culture."

He noted that "half of America's Nobel Prize winners in physics have been immigrants or the sons and daughters of immigrants."

In a Tuesday statement, Corker said he opposes the bill on pretty much the same lines as Alexander, adding, "We have lost credibility in Washington on this issue, and I think before the American people ever get behind an immigration policy, we need to demonstrate to them that the federal government is going to do what it says it will do, especially when it comes to securing our border."

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http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/ ... 05,00.html

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Alexander, Corker on losing side of vote to end debate on immigration measure

Published 06/26/2007 By Hank Hayes

Both of Tennessee's U.S. senators were adamantly against a motion that passed and officially revived the immigration reform bill in the Senate on Tuesday.

U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, two Republicans, were on the losing end of a 64-35 Senate vote to move toward a decision on the 700-page piece of legislation.

"I voted against ending debate on the current immigration bill because I think it needs a lot more work," Alexander said in a conference call with reporters. "The vote today was about bringing the debate to an end, and we're not ready to bring the debate to an end on the immigration bill. We're having a very limited debate here in a body that is supposed to be the greatest deliberative body in the world. We need to have full and free debate on how we secure the border; how we get rid of the amnesty in the bill; how do we help legal immigrants learn English, our heritage and our culture; and how we do a better job of helping skilled workers and researchers who have always helped create jobs for Americans to make it easier for them to come to the United States."

Corker said in a prepared release that he will vote against the bill in its final form as well.

"I believe a better approach would be a more modest bill that focuses on border security, employer identification, and putting systems in place that will put us in a position to actually enforce a new immigration policy," Corker said. "We have lost credibility in Washington on this issue, and before the American people will be willing to get behind an immigration policy, we need to demonstrate to them that the federal government is going to do what it says it will do, especially when it comes to securing our border."

If the bill passes in the Senate, it would go to the Democrat-controlled House for more debate.

Alexander said he favors a so-called "touchback" amendment to the bill that would require people to pay a fine and pass a criminal background check to "come back into the country" through legal channels.

"That goes a long way toward taking amnesty out of the bill. That's a step in the right direction ... but it may not be sufficient," Alexander said of the amendment.

He also favors creating a worker verification system using a biometric "smart" card.

"Most of the illegal immigration problem is related to work," Alexander said. "The idea would be that if you can't get hired in the United States unless you are legally here, you will either go home or find a way to be legally here."

For more about the bill go www.senate.gov. The bill's number is S. 1639.
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http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9001826

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Good moves lead to positive change

June 27, 2007

The U.S. Senate voted to close debate on a far-reaching immigration bill this week, and Tennessee’s senators voted against the move.

Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker were right to vote against the maneuver, as limiting debate on something as weighty as immigration reform is never good governance. At the same time, we urge Alexander, Corker and other national leaders doubting this bill to see it changed and real immigration policy reform passed.

Our country needs safe, secure borders that work. Our companies and employers need reliable means to verify the immigration status of foreign born nationals. The U.S. also needs an immigration system that honors legal immigration and the fact that we are a nation of laws.

At the same time, we must be realistic about the over 12 million illegal immigrants that are here. Continuing down our present path of enjoying their additions to the work force while keeping them outside society is wrong and contrary to the lessons of our nation’s history.

Read this article online:
/index.cfm?section=38&screen=news&news_id=56892


Copyright 2000-2004, The City Paper LLC.

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