Thread: Alert! Alert! AgJobs Amnesty threat in the Senate

Help stop the Senate AgJOBS threat: Call Senators today

SENATE ALLIES BEGGING FOR YOUR HELP TO STOP AgJOBS AMNESTY

This email contains a major challenge to every member of the NumbersUSA Action Network.

Our Senate allies are begging for our help to stop the AgJOBS amnesty threat in the Senate next week, but at the same time telling us that they do not believe we can stop the AgJOBS amnesty because it has the votes to pass and Sen. Craig is determined to force a vote.

Our Capitol Hill team has been in various meetings with Senate staffers today and they are reporting that the situation is desperate. Senate staffers are telling us that you are their only hope of stopping the massive AgJOBS amnesty.

That is why we are asking you to call Senators Larry Craig (R-ID), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Bill Frist (R-TN) [see below> as well as your own Senator if he or she serves on the Senate Appropriations Committe. We hope you will make your calls as soon as possible and make them again every day until next Wednesday

THE AgJOBS THREAT

Sen. Craig, the chief sponsor of the AgJOBS amnesty (S. 359) has already received permission from the Senate Parliamentarian to offer AgJOBS as an amendment to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. (As a reminder, on March 16th, the House passed the Iraq supplemental spending bill with the REAL ID bill attached to it.) If this happens, most observers believe it will pass and be attached to the supplemental. Once it is attached, it will be incredibly difficult to kill in conference. We cannot even count on our allies in the House killing it by voting against the conference report because no one will want to delay funding for our troops, even if an amnesty is attached.

Our Capitol Hill team will be working behind the scenes with our Senate allies to try to come up with procedural maneuvers to stop it, but the best chance we have of stopping the amnesty rests in your hands.

The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark up the Iraq supplemental spending bill on Wednesday of next week (April 6th). That is why we are asking for your phone calls to Senators throughout the rest of this week and early next week. The actions of the Appropriations Committee will determine our strategy from there. We expect the supplemental to come to the Senate floor as early as next Thursday, though it could be delayed until the following week.

We will come back to you on Wednesday and let you know the results of the markup, as well as the next actions we hope you will take. We may be calling on you multiple times over the next two weeks or so, until the Iraq supplemental funding bill is through the Senate -- with the REAL ID Act on it and without the AgJOBS amnesty.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU CALL

We are asking you to call all three Senators (Craig, Cochran, and Frist), but are suggesting three different messages when you call.

What to say when you call Senator Frist

As Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Frist is in a unique position to stop the AgJOBS amnesty from being offered as an amendment to the Iraq supplemental spending bill.

When you call, we suggest you say something like,

"Please stop the AgJOBS amnesty from being offered as an amendment to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. Don’t let it come up as an amendment. It is disgraceful that Sen. Craig wants the Senate to add an amnesty to a bill to fund our troops and secure our nation. You have the power to prevent this."

What to say when you call Senator Cochran

Senator Cochran is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. We suggest the following message to Sen. Cochran:

"Please don't let the AgJOBS amnesty be attached to your bill to fund our troops and the fight against terrorism. Amnesty is in direct conflict with national security."

What to say when you call Senator Craig

Sen. Craig is the chief sponsor of the AgJOBS amnesty. He needs to understand that most Americans oppose his amnesty bill and that it is totally inappropriate to attach an amnesty to a national security bill like the Iraq supplemental spending bill. You may want to say something like:

"I am outraged that you would even consider attaching the AgJOBS amnesty to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. Don't you understand that opening the borders is in direct conflict with national security? Our troops are dying abroad and your AgJOBS amnesty would open the homeland to terrorists."

What to say when you call your Senator on the Appropriations Committee

It is especially important to stress that it is totally inappropriate to attach an amnesty bill to a defense spending bill like the Iraq supplemental spending bill. The AgJOBS amnesty will expose the homeland to increased security risks from terrorists who use the amnesty to game our immigration system to gain access to the country. It happened in 1986, when Mahmud Abouhalima applied for and received amnesty, used his new green card to travel to Afghanistan for terrorist training, and then drove a van full of explosives into the World Trade Center in 1993. DHS will not be able to screen out terrorists this time, either.

The Iraq supplemental spending bill will INCREASE security by funding our troops and providing additional tools to fight the war against terrorism. The AgJOBS amnesty rewards illegal immigration and makes the country vulnerable to future attacks.

Your message can be as short as:

“I’m calling to ask you to oppose attaching the AgJOBS amnesty to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. It makes no sense to attach an illegal-alien amnesty to a defense spending bill.�

FAX YOUR SENATORS

Send faxes opposing the AgJOBS amnesty

Please go to http://www.NumbersUSA.com/fax to send a fax to your Senators asking them to oppose the AgJOBS amnesty.

ADDITIONAL TALKING POINTS

The AgJOBS amnesty is an amnesty for up to three million illegal aliens. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens currently working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could qualify for this amnesty, so the total could reach three million or more. Experts estimate that the fraud rate in the 1986 mass amnesty was as high as 70 percent! There is no reason to believe this amnesty would be any different -- except that there are more terrorists looking for a way to infiltrate our country today.

You can find out more about the AgJOBS amnesty on our website at:

http://www.numbersusa.com/hottopic/AGJOBS.htm


THANK YOU

I hope you will take some pride in being part of a nationwide network that represents a majority of Americans who oppose amnesty. Even though our Senate allies are skeptical of our chances of defeating the AgJOBS amnesty, are relying on us to give it our best shot. Many of us at NumbersUSA are a bit more optimistic and believe, that with enough calls from Americans like you, we can stop this amnesty in its tracks.

Thank you for doing all you can to stop the AgJOBS amnesty.

ANNE


PHONE LIST

Call Senators Craig, Cochran, and Frist

Even though the Senate is on recess for the rest of this week, we are asking you to first call the DC office of every Senator each weekday between now and next Wednesday (April 6). Then, if you have time each day, call the district offices, as well, on Thursday and Friday of this week. We know we are asking for a lot of phone calls from each of you, but we need you to represent all Americans in this fight against amnesty. Please make as many calls as you can. Phone numbers for each Senator follow at the end of this email.

=========================
Idaho
=========================

*************************
Sen. Craig, Larry
1292 Addison Avenue East,
Twin Falls, ID 83301
(208-734-6780)

801 East Sherman Street - Room 193,
Pocatello, ID 83201
(208-236-6817)

846 Main Street,
Lewiston, ID 83501
(208-743-0792)

Harbor Plaza,
Coeur D'Alene, ID 83814
(208-667-6130)

225 North 9th Street,
Boise, ID 83702
(208-342-7985)

490 Memorial Drive - Suite 101,
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
(208-523-5541)

SH-520,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-2752)


=========================
Mississippi
=========================

*************************
Sen. Cochran, Thad
188 East Capitol Street - Suite 614,
Jackson, MS 39201
(601-965-4459)

U.S. Federal Court House,
Oxford, MS 38655
(601-236-101

SR-326,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5054)


=========================
Tennessee
=========================

*************************
Sen. Frist, Bill
10368 Wallace Alley Street - Suite 7,
Kingsport, TN 37663
(423-323-1252)

800 Market Street,
Knoxville, TN 37919
(865-637-4180)

5100 Poplar Avenue - Suite 605,
Memphis, TN 38137
(901-683-1910)

735 Broad Street, Suite 701,
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423-756-2757)

28 White Bridge Road - Suite 211,
Nashville, TN 37205
(615-352-9411)

200 East Main St.,
Jackson, TN 38301
(731-424-9655)

SH-509,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-3344)

PHONE LIST FOR SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS

=========================
Alabama
=========================

*************************
Sen. Shelby, Richard
Huntsville International Airport,
Huntsville, AL 35284
(205-772-0460)

Federal Courthouse,
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334-223-7303)

Federal Courthouse,
Mobile, AL 36602
(334-694-4164)

Federal Building,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
(205-759-5047)

U.S. Courthouse,
Birmingham, AL 35203
(205-731-1384)

SH-110,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5744)


=========================
Alaska
=========================

*************************
Sen. Stevens, Ted
222 West 7th Avenue - No. 2,
Anchorage, AK 99513
(907-271-5915)

109 Main Street,
Ketchikan, AK 99901
(907-225-6880)

120 Trading Bay Road - Suite 350,
Kenai, AK 99611
(907-283-580

851 East Westpoint Drive - Suite 307,
Wasilla, AK 99645
(907-376-7665)

Federal Building,
Fairbanks, AK 99701
(907-456-0261)

Federal Building,
Juneau, AK 99802
(907-586-7400)

SH-522,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-3004)


=========================
California
=========================

*************************
Sen. Feinstein, Dianne
750 B Street - Suite 1030,
San Diego, CA 92101
(619-231-9712)

Federal Office Building,
Fresno, CA 93721
(559-485-7430)

11111 San Monica Blvd. - Suite 915,
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310-914-7300)

United States Senate,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-3841)


=========================
Colorado
=========================

*************************
Sen. Allard, Wayne
5401 Stone Creek Cir,
Loveland, CO 80538
(970-461-3530)

411 Thatcher Building,
Pueblo, CO 81003
(719-545-9751)

228 North Cascade Avenue - Suite 106,
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719-634-6071)

7340 East Caley - Suite 215,
Englewood, CO 80111
(303-220-7414)

215 Federal Building,
Grand Junction, CO 81501
(970-245-9553)

SD-521,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5941)


=========================
Hawaii
=========================

*************************
Sen. Inouye, Daniel
24 North Church Street - Suite 407,
Wailuku, Maui, HI 96793
(808-242-9702)

101 Aupuni Street - No. 205,
Hilo, HI 96720
(808-935-0844)

300 Ala Moana Boulevard - Suite 7325,
Honolulu, HI 96850
(808-541-2542)

P. O. Box 573,
Kaunakakai, HI 96748
(808-642-0203)

2853 A Mokoi Street,
Lihue, Kauai, HI 96766
(808-245-4620)

P. O. Box 41,
Kealakekua, HI 96750
(808-935-0844)

SH-722,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-3934)


=========================
Idaho
=========================

*************************
Sen. Craig, Larry
1292 Addison Avenue East,
Twin Falls, ID 83301
(208-734-6780)

801 East Sherman Street - Room 193,
Pocatello, ID 83201
(208-236-6817)

846 Main Street,
Lewiston, ID 83501
(208-743-0792)

Harbor Plaza,
Coeur D'Alene, ID 83814
(208-667-6130)

225 North 9th Street,
Boise, ID 83702
(208-342-7985)

490 Memorial Drive - Suite 101,
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
(208-523-5541)

SH-520,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-2752)


=========================
Illinois
=========================

*************************
Sen. Durbin, Richard
Kluczynski Federal Building,
Chicago, IL 60604
(312-353-4952)

Henson Robinsion House,
Springfield, IL 62703
(217-492-4062)

Mercantile Bank Building,
Marion, IL 62959
(618-998-8812)

SD-332,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-2152)


=========================
Iowa
=========================

*************************
Sen. Grassley, Charles
103 Federal Courthouse Building,
Sioux City, IA 51101
(712-233-1860)

307 Federal Building,
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
(712-322-7103)

210 Waterloo Building,
Waterloo, IA 50701
(319-232-6657)

206 Federal Building,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
(319-363-6832)

721 Federal Building,
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515-284-4890)

116 Federal Building,
Davenport, IA 52801
(319-322-4331)

SH-135,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-3744)


=========================
Kansas
=========================

*************************
Sen. Brownback, Sam
612 S. Kansas Ave.,
Topeka, KS 66603
(785-233-2503)

116 East Chestnut - Suite 104B,
Garden City, KS 67846
(316-275-1124)

11111 West 95th - Suite 245,
Overland Park, KS 66214
(913-492-637

225 N. Market - Suite 120,
Wichita, KS 67202
(316-264-8066)

21001-C N. Broadway,
Pittsburgh, KS 66762
(316-231-6040)

SH-303,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-6521)


=========================
Kentucky
=========================

*************************
Sen. McConnell, Mitch
Federal Building,
Bowling Green, KY 42101
(270-781-1673)

601 West Broadway - Room 630,
Louisville, KY 40202
(502-582-6304)

771 Corporate Drive,
Lexington, KY 40503
(859-224-8286)

300 South Main Street,
London, KY 40741
(606-864-2026)

1885 Dixie Higyway - Suite 345,
Fort Wright, KY 41011
(859-578-018

SR-361a,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-2541)


=========================
Louisiana
=========================

*************************
Sen. Landrieu, Mary
Hale Boggs Federal Building,
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504-589-2427)

921 Moss Street - Suite 2506,
Lake Charles, LA 70601
(318-436-6650)

U.S. Courthouse,
Shreveport, LA 71101
(318-676-3085)

U.S. Postal Building,
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
(225-389-0395)

SH-724,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5824)


=========================
Maryland
=========================

*************************
Sen. Sarbanes, Paul
113 Baltimore Street,
Cumberland, MD 21502
(301-724-0695)

1110 Bonifont Street - Suite 450,
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301-589-0797)

1518 Tower I,
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410-962-4436)

2025 Westview Place,
Bryons Road, MD 10616
(301-283-0947)

110 West Church Street - Suite D,
Salisbury, MD 21801
(410-860-2131)

SH-309,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-4524)


=========================
Mississippi
=========================

*************************
Sen. Cochran, Thad
188 East Capitol Street - Suite 614,
Jackson, MS 39201
(601-965-4459)

U.S. Federal Court House,
Oxford, MS 38655
(601-236-101

SR-326,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5054)


=========================
Missouri
=========================

*************************
Sen. Bond, Kit
339 Broadway - Room 140,
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
(573-334-7044)

8000 Maryland - Suite 440,
St. Louis, MO 63105
(314-725-4484)

Rivergate Business Center,
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816-471-7141)

308 East High St. - Suite 202,
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573-634-248

318 Park Central East - Suite 601,
Springfield, MO 65806
(417-864-825

SR-274,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5721)


=========================
Montana
=========================

*************************
Sen. Baucus, Max
Silver Bow Center,
Butte, MT 59701
(406-782-8700)

211 North Higgins - Room 102,
Missoula, MT 59802
(406-329-3123)

202 Fratt Building,
Billings, MT 59101
(406-657-6790)

Federal Building,
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406-586-6104)

220 1st Avenue,
East Kalispell, MT 59901
(406-756-1150)

225 Cruse Avenue - Suite D,
Helena, MT 59601
(406-449-5480)

18 5th Street South,
Great Falls, MT 59401
(406-761-1574)

SH-511,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-2651)


=========================
Nevada
=========================

*************************
Sen. Reid, Harry
400 South Virginia Street - Suite 902,
Reno, NV 89501
(775-686-5750)

600 East William Street - Room 302,
Carson City, NV 89701
(775-885-9111)

333 Las Vegas Blvd., South - Suite 8016,
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702-388-5020)

SH-528,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-3542)


=========================
New Hampshire
=========================

*************************
Sen. Gregg, Judd
136 Pleasant Street,
Berlin, NH 03570
(603-752-2604)

99 Pease Blvd.,
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603-431-2171)

28 Webster Street,
Manchester, NH 03104
(603-622-7979)

125 North Main Street,
Concord, NH 03301
(603-225-7115)

SR-393,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-3324)


=========================
New Mexico
=========================

*************************
Sen. Domenici, Pete
120 South Federal Place - Room 302,
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505-988-6511)

201 3rd Street, NW,
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505-346-6791)

Federal Building,
Roswell, NM 88201
(505-623-6170)

Federal Building,
Las Cruces, NM 88005
(505-526-5475)

SH-328,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-6621)


=========================
North Dakota
=========================

*************************
Sen. Conrad, Kent
Federal Building,
Fargo, ND 58102
(701-232-8030)

Federal Building,
Bismarck, ND 58501
(701-258-464

100 First Street SW. - Suite 105,
Minot, ND 58701
(701-852-0703)

Federal Building,
Grand Forks, ND 58203
(701-775-9601)

SH-530,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-2043)


=========================
Ohio
=========================

*************************
Sen. DeWine, Mike
37 West Broad Street - Room 970,
Columbus, OH 43215
(614-469-5186)

600 East Superior Avenue - Suite 2450,
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216-522-7272)

121 Putnam Street,
Marietta, OH 45750
(740-373-2317)

420 Madison Avenue - Room 1225,
Toledo, OH 43604
(419-259-7536)

100 West Main Street,
Xenia, OH 45385
(937-376-3080)

105 East 4th Street - Room 1515,
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513-763-8260)

SR-140,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-2315)


=========================
Pennsylvania
=========================

*************************
Sen. Specter, Arlen
Post Office Building,,
Allentown, PA 18101
(610-434-1444)

600 Arch Street - Suite 9400,
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215-597-7200)

Federal Building,
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412-644-3400)

Federal Building,
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717-782-3951)

Park Plaza,
Scranton, PA 18503
(570-346-2006)

South Main Towers,
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
(570-826-6265)

Federal Building,
Erie, PA 16501
(814-453-3010)

SH-711,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-4254)


=========================
South Dakota
=========================

*************************
Sen. Johnson, Tim
20 Sixth Avenue SW - Suite C,
Aberdeen, SD 57401
(605-226-3440)

515 South Dakota Avenue,
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
(605-332-8896)

405 East Omaha Street,
Rapid City, SD 57701
(605-341-3990)

SH-324,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5842)


=========================
Texas
=========================

*************************
Sen. Hutchison, Kay
222 East Van Buren Street,
Harlingen, TX 78550
(956-425-2253)

10440 North Central Expressway - Suite 1160, LB 606,
Dallas, TX 75231
(214-361-3500)

1919 Smith Street - Suite 800,
Houston, TX 77024
(713-653-3456)

Federal Building,
Austin, TX 78701
(512-916-5834)

145 Duncan Drive,
San Antonio, TX 78226
(210-340-2885)

500 Chestnut Street - Suite 1570,
Abilene, TX 79602
(915-676-2839)

SR-284,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5922)


=========================
Utah
=========================

*************************
Sen. Hatch, Orrin
Federal Building,
Ogden, UT 84401
(801-625-5672)

2390 West Highway 56 - P. O. Box 99,
Cedar City, UT 84720
(801-586-8435)

51 South University Avenue - Suite 320,
Provo, UT 84606
(801-375-7881)

Federal Building,
Salt Lake City, UT 84138
(801-524-4380)

197 East Tabernacle - Room 2,
St. George, UT 84770
(435-634-1795)

SH-104,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5251)


=========================
Vermont
=========================

*************************
Sen. Leahy, Patrick
Courthouse Plaza,
Burlington, VT 05401
(802-863-2525)

Federal Building,
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802-229-0569)

SR-433,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-4242)


=========================
Washington
=========================

*************************
Sen. Murray, Patty
8915 West Grandridge Boulevard - Suite M,
Kennewick, WA 99336
(509-783-0640)

11120 Gravelly Lake Drive Southwest - Suite 8,
Lakewood, WA 98499
(253-581-1646)

10900 Northeast 4th Street - Suite 2110,
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425-451-0103)

402 East Yakima Avenue,
Yakima, WA 98901
(509-248-8084)

Federal Office Building,
Vancouver, WA 98660
(360-696-783

1523 Country Club Drive,
Wenatchee, WA 98802
(509-884-3447)

SR-173,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-2621)


=========================
West Virginia
=========================

*************************
Sen. Byrd, Robert
300 Virginia Street, East - Suite 2630,
Charleston, WV 25301
(304-342-5855)

SH-311,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-3954)


=========================
Wisconsin
=========================

*************************
Sen. Kohl, Herb
310 West Wisconsin Avenue - Suite 950,
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(414-297-4451)

4321 West College Ave.,
Appleton, WI 54914
(920-738-1640)

402 Graham Avenue - Suite 206,
Eau Claire, WI 54701
(715-832-8424)

14 West Muffin Street - Suite 312,
Madison, WI 53703
(608-264-533

425 State Street - Suite 202,
LaCrosse, WI 54601
(608-796-0045)

SH-330,
Washington, DC 20510
(202-224-5653)

To the Moderators:

Can we please keep this thread near the top of the forum for a while until the Senate approriations committee votes on this? I think this should be kept at the top so others can read this and act on it. One of our goals is to stop amnesties for illegals and this one is gaining traction again unfortunately. I want all of our members and guests to see this so they know what's going on. Thanks guys!

I second that motion!! I think this should be easy to find for my own use and that of others who will be helping in this effort.

Thanks moderator,
RR

Dataman,

You can keep it near the top by using "BTTT" .. "bump to the top." The BTTT counts as a reply and will move the thread up to the top.

OK .. your turn to bump. <g>

Great suggestion! I will make this a sticky. I'm also considering sending this out to our e-mail alerts list with suggestions on how citizens can help.

W

Thanks guys!

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050 ... -2064r.htm

Senate opens door to alien amnesty


By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The Senate is bracing for its first fight over amnesty for illegal immigrants in nearly 10 years after the chamber's parliamentarian ruled that a debate over granting legal status to illegal agriculture workers will be allowed on the pending emergency spending bill.
The $81 billion spending bill covers costs associated with the war on terror, and the House already passed a version with provisions restricting asylum claims and cracking down on illegal immigrants' ability to use driver's licenses. The parliamentarian said those provisions open the door for Sen. Larry E. Craig, Idaho Republican, to offer as an amendment his bill, commonly called "Ag-jobs," to legalize the 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants now working in the agriculture industry.
"With the parliamentarian's approval it's looking more and more likely we'll offer Ag-jobs as an amendment," Craig spokesman Sidney Smith said. "That decision isn't set in concrete, but it's starting to shape up that way."
The spending bill will be before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, though Mr. Smith said that if Mr. Craig offers his amendment, it will be during the floor debate. But Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, chairman of the Judiciary immigration subcommittee, is opposed to the bill and says it will not pass.
"Not if Senator Cornyn has anything to do with it," spokesman Don Stewart said of the bill's chances. "Ag-jobs is an amnesty bill, and the president's not going to sign it. Second of all, it's not a comprehensive [immigration] bill, and it would slow momentum for getting a comprehensive bill."
The measure would allow any agricultural worker who is in the United States illegally and who has worked 100 days out of a year, during the 18 months prior to Jan. 1, 2005, to gain legal status.
"We want to stabilize the current agriculture work force -- workers who are trusted, who are already on the job, who are already putting food on our tables," said Damon Tobias, Mr. Craig's legislative aide on immigration. "We think it makes more sense to allow them to earn legal status than to try to replace a large part of the agriculture work force."
Although there have been votes on security issues, and the Senate recently passed a nonbinding amendment to the budget to add 2,000 Border Patrol agents in fiscal year 2006, Roy Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA, said Mr. Craig's amendment would be the first broad fight over illegal immigration in some time.
"The Senate has not had any real roll-call votes on whether to get tough on or reward illegal aliens since 1996, so this will be a defining moment," said Mr. Beck, whose group lobbies for stricter immigration controls. "A lot of these senators' constituents don't really know whether they favor illegal immigrants or oppose illegal immigrants."
Both congressional aides and lobbying sources said the Bush administration would prefer to see a comprehensive bill pass rather than Mr. Craig's bill, and Mr. Cornyn has begun a series of hearings aimed at producing such a broad bill later this year -- something Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee Republican, also would have preferred.
"Our preference would be to have this debate on some other vehicle, but if there's going to be a debate on immigration, we want all aspects of the debate to be included," spokesman Bob Stevenson said.
Mr. Craig's office says his bill isn't amnesty. "It's not; it's rehabilitation," Mr. Tobias said.
He said the bill would apply to 500,000 workers and another 200,000 to 300,000 spouses and children. Opponents say it would apply to 1 million workers and 2 million spouses and children.
Mr. Craig's measure, which achieved 62 co-sponsors in the last Congress, has only 43 this year.
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican, had signed on, but has since withdrawn his name as a sponsor. His spokesman said the real question was why his name was ever part of the measure. "He was never a sponsor this year. It was mistake on somebody's part," said Adam Elggren, though he could not say what changed from last year, when Mr. Hatch also was listed as a sponsor.

================================================== ==

Great. The big wigs in the Republicrat party are against AgJobs because they don't think it goes far enough. It's not a big enough amnesty in the eyes of King George II.

I don't know why Democrats hate this guy. He's the best president they've ever had.

Another update:

From: Roy Beck, President, NumbersUSA
Date: Friday 1APR05 10 a.m. Eastern

No April Fool's Joke........AgJOBS amnesty moving forward in Senate........PHONE PLEASE!


Our Hill Team has gotten almost nothing but confirmation on the Hill the last 24 hours that nearly all Senate offices believe the AgJobs amnesty is coming up for a vote next week and, if allowed, likely will pass the Senate.

In too many offices, our people have been told that the Senators just aren't hearing that much opposition to giving an amnesty to around a million illegal farm workers, plus perhaps 2 million of their relatives.

Clearly, thousands more of you are going to have to pick up a phone if our point of view is to truly break through into the consciousness of the Senate offices.

Unlike most Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, most Senators hear more from Opinion Elites and wealthy lobbyists than from their regular constituents. COLLECTIVELY, YOU MEMBERS OF THE NUMBERSUSA ACTION NETWORK MUST BREAK THROUGH AND GET THE ATTENTION OF THESE SENATORS!

A lot of you started the process very nicely yesterday. Senate offices need to be overwhelmed with phone calls today.

See below for what to say when you call.

1. ACTION.......... Phone your two Senators TODAY

If you haven't called your Senators this week to oppose the AgJobs amnesty, please do so today.

If you HAVE already phoned, please make still more calls today.

Find the phone numbers for your Senators at:
www.numbersusa.com/myMembers

If you've never made one of these calls, believe me it isn't that difficult. AND IT IS SO EXHILARATING!

Look at the email we got from Matt yesterday right after he made his calls:

"I'm totally feeling empowered right now. If any of your faxers are thinking about NOT calling, please tell them that the staffers at Cochran and Frist's offices are saying "lots of people are calling about this." Let's make it a lot more!"

-- Matt

If you want to really make an impact, call not only your two Senators' Washington DC offices but also their offices in their home state.

2. ACTION.......... The easy short phone message to give

For those of you with more phoning experience and who have a deeper grasp of the AgJobs issues, you'll want to use the material lower in this email for a richer discussion with Senate staffers.

But the rest of you may want to be as simple as this with your call (please vary the words a little so staffers don't think you are reading from a script):

I'm calling about the AgJOBS amnesty -- S. 359.

The news is that the Senate may try to attach this amnesty to a defense appropriations bill next week.

I oppose any amnesty for illegal aliens.

Will Sen. xmxmxm vote to pass the AgJOBS amnesty?

It is very important to try to make staffers state the Senator's position. More than 40 Senators are co-sponsors of the amnesty but their staffers may not want to admit support. It also is possible that some co-sponsors may not be willing to attach the amnesty to a security bill.

If a staffer indicates the Senator plans to support the amnesty, politely but firmly give a short reason why you think that is a bad idea.

Key reasons might be:

1. It is an insult to our brave men and women in uniform to mix appropriations for them with rewarding large numbers of people who have violated our borders.

2. Farm workers are among the worst treated working people in America. Flooding their occupations with illegal foreign workers and encouraging even more to come will ensure that farm workers have to continue to labor and live like peasants. AgJOBS is a shameful act of economic INjustice.

3. PSYCHOLOGY ........... Too many of our allies in the Senate are demoralized and think they have no power

The psychology in the Senate is totally different than in the House where our allies are full of confidence that they can help the majority American will prevail.

Many of our allies in the Senate are defeatist and have convinced themselves that they will have to make horrible compromises because they are just too weak.

It is up to you to give Senators the feeling that masses of Americans will stand behind Senators who vote against amnesties for illegal aliens.

The psychology of most of our Senate allies right now is similar to that of our House allies three years ago. Largely because of tens of thousands of individual efforts by people like you, our House allies now have the dominant voice in the House most of the time and "feel their power."

But you wouldn't believe the gulf that lies in the two blocks that separate the Senate and House office buildings. Senators and Representatives almost never talk. Their staffers almost never talk, either.

Your NumbersUSA Capitol Hill Team spends a great deal of time putting Senate and House staffers together, especially trying to help Senate staffers feel some of the can-do optimism that our House staffer allies exude.

I was with one of the top House staffers late last night when he said, "What happens over the next two or three weeks could set the tone for everything else on immigration the next two years."

If the Senate acts in its usual open-borders way, the House leaders may just decide it isn't worth doing much more to try to crack down on illegal immigration. But if our allies in the Senate show a muscular resistance to the open-borders lobbyists, it could spur our House allies into a continuous all-out effort to get the job done, the staffer said.

The House staffer said the only hope for a positive outcome in the Senate is if the NumbersUSA Action Network turns out a response to Senate offices as large as its greatest efforts last year.

In other words, citizens have to show that they are paying attention, they care deeply and they will take note of what side the Senators take.

PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, when a Senate staffer tells you that the Senator opposes the AgJOBS amnesty, thank the staffer profusely and then....

....and then, encourage the staffer to ask the Senator to band with other Senators of like mind to do everything possible to keep AgJOBS from coming to the floor.

Emphasize the need for bold leadership and that the citizens of your support are hungry to see this kind of leadership.

Be as positive and supportive as possible to offices indicating opposition to AgJOBS.

4. ACTION.......... Send new faxes to Senators

Freshly updated faxes to your Senators have been placed on your Action Buffet.

You should be able to go directly to the fax by clicking on this link:

www.numbersusa.com/actionbuffet?action=buildfax&ID=1639

Thanks to many of you making generous contributions to our Great Technological Leap Forward campaign last summer, we now have the capacity to send three times as many faxes per day as we could during last year's major legislative battles.

Thus far, you have not come close to challenging our capacity in 2005. This would be a good time to do so.

5. OPTIMISM ........Some good signs

a. Congratualations to all of you in Utah who have made your Sen. Hatch and his staff miserable the last two years because of their leadership in trying to reward illegal aliens.

Sen. Hatch (R-UT) has withdrawn his co-sponsorship of the AgJOBS amnesty!

After a person co-sponsors a bill, the Senator has to go to the floor of the Senate and formally renounce the co-sponsorship to get off the bill. Sen. Hatch did just that.

In another sign that the Senator may be feeling the need to get more in line with Utah citizens' opinions, Sen. Hatch has NOT co-sponsored the DREAM Act in this Congress. In the past, he has been a prime sponsor -- along with open-borders champion Rep. Cannon (R-UT) -- of the DREAM Act to give in-state tuition and amnesty to illegal alien teenagers.

b. Senate co-sponsorships of AgJobs amnesty down from last year.

Last year, Sen. Craig (R-ID) and Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) were able to get more than 60 of the 100 Senators to co-sponsor their amnesty.

Thus far in the new Congress, they have not been able to get above 45. While all Senate offices tell us they are sure more than 50 Senators would vote for the amnesty if it is brought to the floor, we believe the lower level of co-sponsorships is a sign that fewer Senators want to stick their necks out before a vote and identify themselves for their citizens to rebuke.

c. Your feedback to us of what you hear when you call is very important to our Capitol Hill Team. Please send it immediately so our Team can use the information to work behind the scenes today.

Here are a couple of fun feedbacks from yesterday:

"Craig’s DC office just told me they have been flooded w/ calls today. The gentleman asked if I saw the story in “USA Today�, so perhaps he meant your site. I told him I have followed the legislation from its inception and that I saw Craig’s interview w/ Lou Dobbs a number of weeks ago (which went very badly for Craig) He was polite and respectful, and did not deny that Americans are very much opposed to these efforts.
Thanks..Keep it up."

-- T. Wright, Santa Barbara

"I called Frist's D.C. office this a.m. and after saying what I was supposed to say, I added this: 'As a veteran, it really bothers me that while young Americans are being asked to put their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan, certain members of Congress want to open our borders even more and reward people here illegally with amnesty and a citizenship. Exactly which principles and values are these Americans supposed to be defending?' There was a pause, and the woman taking my comments said, 'That is an excellent point,' and she again asked for the spelling of my name."

-- Dave, Chicago

6. ACTION.......... More details about what is happening and other things you can do to help

I am so glad this has been stickied. This is a huge setback if it sneeks its way through.

I am so ashamed (and ANGERED) to be from a state which has elected the people who pander to this form of trash. We need to do ALL we can to kill this garbage. This is a big first step for the other side, and simply can not be allowed to be pushed. through.

H.

I called my Senator, Arlen Specter's office today and when I told the lady that answered that I opposed attaching the AgJOBS amnesty to the Iraq supplemental spending bill, she didn't know what I was talking about.

This is typical of the staffers in Specter's offices I have found from past calls.

Not to be deterred I then called Sen. Frist's office in Kingsport TN. and got a better response from a polite and knowledgeable staffer. He told me Sen Frist felt this way also, but couldn't always control what was put into the bills.

He also stated that he had heard from many other people who felt that way today.