The Myth of Amnesty
The Senate Immigration Bill vs. a Disastrous Status Quo

By Janet Napolitano
The Washington Post
Sunday, June 10, 2007; Page B07

On the subject of immigration, my plea to Congress is loud and clear: You can't quit now. Last week the Senate was on the verge of addressing our broken immigration system. No, the compromise bill wasn't perfect. But our current system is a disaster. I implore lawmakers to go back to the table, iron out their differences and give us an immigration system that is enforceable, and the resources to enforce it.

Opponents of the Senate immigration bill -- those who really want to do nothing -- merely yelled "amnesty" in place of reasoned opposition. They were -- and are -- just plain wrong. Don't let them derail your efforts.

No one favors illegal immigration. But there are upwards of 12 million people illegally in this country -- people who work, who have settled their families and who have raised their children here. For 20 years our country has done basically nothing to enforce the 1986 legislation against either the employers who hired illegal immigrants or those who crossed our borders illegally to work for them. Accordingly, our current system is, effectively, silent amnesty.

If we have no comprehensive immigration reform this year, and if we do not deal rigorously and openly with those already here, silent amnesty will continue. As a border-state governor who has dealt with immigration issues more than any other governor I know of, I am certain that continued inaction by Congress -- silent amnesty -- is the worst of all worlds.

Consider what happens when we have an immigration system that is based on silent amnesty and that is unenforced and unenforceable. To look "tough," what little enforcement we have ends up being arbitrary and unfair. For example:


· A man in the United States illegally was pulled over in Phoenix and charged with driving under the influence. Immigration officers arrested him, his wife and their 19-year-old son, who were also here illegally. An aunt says that their 12-year-old daughter -- who is an American citizen -- cries every day for the family members who had to leave her behind. This is a fair immigration system?


· The Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency has sent several top-ranking students from Arizona State University to a camp in Eloy, Ariz., to await deportation to countries they have never lived in. The students have earned top marks, have never been in serious legal trouble and by all measures are primed to become productive members of our economy. This is a wise immigration policy?


· A team from an Arizona high school that has a high percentage of immigrant students went to Upstate New York in 2002 to compete in a science fair. After winning the top prize, the students crossed into Canada to see Niagara Falls -- and were stopped at the border when they tried to return. After nine hours of interrogation they were allowed back into the United States, but a years-long legal battle ensued over whether they should be deported. We spent precious law enforcement resources on these high school students rather than on combating putative terrorist threats or, indeed, on infectious tuberculosis carriers. This is good homeland security?

Don't label me soft on illegal immigration. As a U.S. attorney (predating the Gonzales Justice Department), I supervised the prosecution of more than 6,000 immigration felonies. I govern a state where, in 2005, there were 550,000 apprehensions of illegal immigrants. I declared a state of emergency at our border that year, and I was the first governor in the nation to call for assistance from the National Guard. I have also established task forces on vehicle theft and the manufacture of fraudulent identification to complement federal law enforcement efforts.

State measures, however, will never substitute for federal legislation that addresses all aspects of immigration, from border security to employer sanctions to pathways to citizenship. It is fundamentally unfair and unrealistic to suggest that our system remain as it is and ignore the 12 million who ran the gantlet at the border and managed to find work in our country. It is not "amnesty" to require these individuals to earn the privilege of citizenship, as have the millions of immigrants who came before them. While illegal immigration is a crime, "amnesty" is a ***per sticker -- not a solution.

We need comprehensive reform, and we need it this year.

The writer, a Democrat, is governor of Arizona

Tech groups urge return of immigration reform bill

Three major technology trade groups today urged the U.S. Senate to resurrect an immigration reform bill that would expand a controversial skilled-worker visa program.

Grant Gross
PC World
Saturday, June 9, 2007; 12:32 AM

Three major technology trade groups on Friday urged the U.S. Senate to resurrect a wide-ranging immigration reform bill that would expand a controversial skilled-worker visa program.

The Senate late Thursday failed to gain enough votes to close debate on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act and bring the bill to a floor vote. The bill, which critics said provided amnesty to illegal aliens living in the U.S., also would have expanded exemptions to the cap on high-skilled H-1B visa programs, a move supported by many tech vendors.

The bill would increase the annual H-1B cap from 65,000 to 115,000 and exempt foreign students who have earned a master's degree or higher from a U.S. university from the annual cap. Right now, 20,000 students are exempted from the cap.

U.S. tech vendors don't want to lose those workers, especially since many of them have their education supported by U.S. tax dollars at public universities, said David LeDuc, director of public policy for the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).

"We don't want to export our seed corn," he said. "We don't want [those students] leaving and working for our competitors."

The bill also sets preferences based on merit, instead of family connections, for clearing multiyear backlogs for employment green cards, another provision supported by many tech groups. Tech vendors want to keep high-skilled workers in the U.S. under the long-term green card program, but often face delays, LeDuc said.

The SIIA, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) all urged the Senate to try again to pass the legislation.

Negotiations on the bill will continue, and ITI is optimistic the bill will still move forward, said James Ratchford, communications director there. The fate of the bill should become clearer by early next week, he said.

LeDuc agreed, saying SIIA is confident the bill can still pass.

Many large tech vendors have in recent years urged Congress to expand the H-1B program. In March, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates called for more H-1B visas during a visit to Washington, D.C. Gates said then he had "deep anxiety" about the ability of the U.S. to compete globally.

SIIA's position is similar to Microsoft's. "Companies need to be able to hire the best and brightest workers regardless of where they're born," LeDuc said.

The H-1B program isn't generating controversy during the congressional debate on the bill. Instead, provisions to allow illegal aliens to become permanent citizens have raised major concerns among many Republicans. But U.S.-based tech worker groups such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA (IEEE-USA) have opposed a higher H-1B cap, arguing that companies use the program to hire foreign workers for less money than unemployed U.S. workers would receive.

President Defends Immigration Bill

By CHARLES BABINGTON
The Associated Press
Saturday, June 9, 2007; 4:15 AM

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, calling the nation's current immigration situation unacceptable, urged senators to try again to pass legislation that he described as imperfect but the best option available.

In his weekly Saturday radio address, Bush said the bill would not grant amnesty to illegal immigrants, that they would have to pay fines and take other steps to get on a path to legal status and possibly citizenship.

"Securing the border and upholding family values are not partisan concerns," the president said. "They must be addressed, and this bill is the best way to do it."

Bush recorded his address Friday in Germany where he was attending a summit with other world leaders.

The White House and a bipartisan group of senators drafted the wide-ranging bill, but they could not overcome steady attacks from the left and right during weeks of Senate wrangling. When the Senate failed Thursday to end debate and schedule a vote, Democratic leaders set the bill aside with no promise of reviving it.

Bush plans to lunch with Republican senators in the Capitol on Tuesday, part of a more hands-on approach to persuading party conservatives that the compromise bill is much better than the status quo.

In his radio address, Bush acknowledged mistakes in handling immigration and pledged to improve the bill as it moves through Congress.

"Today, illegal immigration is supported by criminal enterprises dedicated to document forgery, human trafficking, and labor exploitation," he said. "This is unacceptable, and we need to fix it in a way that honors our finest traditions."

He said the bill "puts border security first, establishes a temporary worker program to meet the legitimate needs of our growing economy, sets up a mandatory system for verifying employment eligibility, and resolves the status of the estimated 12 million people who are here illegally."

Conceding that a 1986 immigration overhaul largely failed, the president said his administration "is determined to learn from the mistakes of the past decades." The bill would double the number of Border Patrol agents, he said, build more border fences and employ infrared sensors and unmanned aircraft to detect illegal border-crossers.

"Unlike the 1986 law, this bill gives honest employers the tools they need to ensure that they are hiring legal workers," Bush said, including "a tamper-resistant identity card." Businesses that "knowingly hire illegal aliens will be punished," he said.

Addressing the word that has rallied the bill's opponents, the president said: "Amnesty is forgiveness with no penalty for people who have broken our laws to get here." The bill, he said, "requires illegal workers to pay a fine, register with the government, undergo background checks, pay their back taxes, and hold a steady job."

If those immigrants eventually want a green card for permanent residence, he said, they will have to pay another fine, learn English "and return to their home country so they can apply from there."

Senate proponents say immigration bill still has a pulse

Bush accused of not doing enough to save measure.

By Eunice Moscoso, Ken Herman

WASHINGTON BUREAU
Saturday, June 09, 2007

WASHINGTON — Proponents of a Senate immigration bill said Friday that the measure was still alive even after it was pulled from the Senate floor amid a partisan standoff.

But the fate of the drive to give millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship was uncertain.


Republican supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said, "There's no reason this can't be done in a matter of a couple or three weeks."

An attempt to limit debate on the measure and move it toward a final vote failed Thursday night, which prompted Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to pull the legislation.

Both parties blamed each other for the collapse, which was a defeat for President Bush, who has made immigration reform a top domestic priority. Bush is planning to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday to have lunch with Republican senators, and immigration is expected to be the hot topic.

Bush and his advisers are counting heavily on immigration reform as a major piece of the president's legacy. Changing the nation's immigration laws would have long-lasting and far-reaching impacts for decades and the president wants to be remembered as the one who made it happen.

Bush could use a major accomplishment as his popularity remains low and the Iraq war continues to lose popular support.

The immigration issue is particularly difficult for Bush because it puts him at odds with members of his own party — and many conservative radio talk show hosts — who think the bill amounts to an amnesty for lawbreakers.

In a taped radio address airing today, Bush urged Reid to "act quickly" to bring the immigration bill back for a vote.

Reid said in a statement that the White House "has failed so far to rally" Senate Republicans behind immigration reform.

"I will bring the immigration bill back to the Senate floor as soon as enough Republicans are ready to join us in moving forward," Reid said.

The measure was a compromise forged by key Democratic and Republican senators and White House officials. It was dubbed "the grand bargain" and was under attack from both parties. It would give millions of illegal immigrants legal status and a path to citizenship, create a temporary worker program and increase border security.

At the White House, spokesman Tony Snow expressed confidence that the bill is not dead.

"What's interesting is that the core elements of the bill have very strong support, more than 60 votes, Democrats and Republicans," Snow said. "We're hoping that Harry Reid will in fact put together a process that will allow everybody to have a full discussion of the interests and concerns and bring it to a vote."

Snow said the White House has "received some assurance from key Democrats and Republicans that they are committed" to the legislation, indicating the issue could be back on the Senate floor "within a few weeks."

Snow declined to respond to accusations that Bush did not push as hard for the bill as he could have. When asked why Bush didn't work the phones this week, Snow said, "I'm not going to get into strategic stuff like that."

"The president has had a number of direct conversations with key people on this," Snow said.

On Friday, Bush called Republican Sens. Trent Lott of Mississippi, Jon Kyl of Arizona and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky from Air Force One during a European trip.

"They expressed optimism in being able to work together to continue the debate and get a bill passed," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

Immigrant advocates, Hispanic organizations and business groups urged senators to move forward on the legislation, but opponents vowed to fight any attempt to revive it.

And the resistance the immigration bill has faced in the Senate probably will be dwarfed by the resistance from the House, where most Republicans — along with some newly elected Democrats from Republican-leaning districts — oppose the measure.

"I want to make sure this bill stays dead and isn't resurrected by amnesty special interests," said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, the top Republican on a key House immigration subcommittee.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that the best approach might be to focus on enforcement measures such as beefing up the Border Patrol and creating an employee verification system before trying to move the legalization measures again.

Cornyn also said he doubted that the Senate measure would return for a floor vote.

"I don't think Harry Reid has any intention on bringing this bill back," he said.

Additional material from McClatchy Newspapers.

Border debate shifts to states

By David Steves
The Register-Guard
Published: Sunday, June 10, 2007

SALEM - The latest failed immigration reforms may be smoldering in the U.S. Senate, but that doesn't mean the political debate has been silenced.

As in state capitols nationwide, the Oregon Legislature is cautiously stepping up to the immigration debate. In the session's final weeks, state lawmakers are taking up bills that require legal residency for driver's licenses, impose penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens, crack down on the trafficking of illegal immigrants into the United States, and implore Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reforms.

And just as it was with the U.S. Senate's legislation, which failed Thursday, the Oregon Legislature's foray into this political arena doesn't seem to be making either side of the debate happy.

Rep. Chris Edwards of Eugene is one of a handful of Democratic lawmakers who have sponsored immigration bills and been featured in floor debates as reform advocates. Edwards said voters made it clear in last year's election that they want "some sensible solutions to the problem." But so far, Edwards said he's found that those who speak out the loudest on this issue are more interested in extreme positions than sensible ones.

"Some folks are motivated by blatant racism, which is abhorrent to me," the first-term lawmaker said.

"Other folks think there should be no borders, which is ridiculous. Somewhere between those two extremes is a reasonable approach."

Illegal immigration watchdogs say the state legislation being taken up will do little to curb the flow of undocumented workers and their families into the state or diminish their burden on taxpayer-funded programs.

"It's all posturing," said Jim Ludwick, president of Oregonians for Immigration Reform.

He said that few employers if any will be penalized under the bills meant to reduce tax breaks or economic development grants for those who employ illegal immigrants, given that false documents are easily obtained by people in the country illegally.

The McMinnville man also scoffed at the separate votes in the Democratic House and Senate requiring proof of legal residency to obtain a driver's license, because those votes sent bills to committees, from which they aren't expected to emerge before the session adjourns.

Those who advocate for immigrants' rights aren't happy with the session, either, fretting that the bills being discussed send a harsh signal to foreign-born residents. Guadalupe Quinn said she and other immigrants' rights activists in the Eugene area have taken notice of the positions Edwards has taken.

"He's sort of walking the fence," said Quinn, a local coordinator with Causa, a statewide immigrants' rights coalition.

"It's sort of hard to support immigration reform and not come across as if you're coming down on the immigrant community."

Just about everyone agrees on one thing: Lawmakers in both parties want to look as if they're doing something about immigration.

Republican lawmakers, many of whom have staked out more hard-line positions than have the Democrats' most ardent immigration reformers, say the majority party's bills are more about electioneering than public policy.

"The Democratic majority is trying to allow their recent rural Democrats to make some token political statements," said Sen. Larry George, R-Sherwood. "This is all about protecting them for the next election."

He and other Republicans said the single most important step Oregon could take would be to require proof of legal residency to obtain a driver's license. Along with a fake or stolen Social Security number, a driver's license can equip someone in the country to get a job or receive government benefits without being detected as an illegal alien, said Rep. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer.

In addition, Thatcher called for a change in state law so that state and local police can apprehend people solely on the suspicion they're illegal immigrants. Democrats have refused to hold hearings on that proposal. Law enforcement and immigrants' rights groups have opposed the bill, saying immigrants would avoid reporting crimes for fear that police contact would lead to their deportation.

Oregon's legislative debate about immigration reform has been similar to those that have taken place in other state capitols this year. An April survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures found that legislators in all 50 states were considering a total of 1,169 immigration bills - three times the number introduced at that point a year earlier.

Legislators in 41 states put forward 199 measures dealing with immigration in the workplace. Meanwhile, 149 bills in 39 states deal with benefits. The proposals range from requiring more documentation to prove citizenship to cracking down on the ability of illegal immigrants and their children to access benefits and services, as well as those charities that knowingly furnish them.

Rep. Phil Barnhart, D-Eugene, said that while punishing immigrants and their children, and charities that aid them, wasn't on the Oregon Legislature's agenda, it made sense to ensure that Oregon takes away the No. 1 incentive for them to cross illegally into the United States from Mexico: the expectation that American employers will gladly accept their labor.

He said the bill in his committee that takes away tax law benefits for those employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants should help reduce that incentive to break the law.

"Part of the argument is that the immigrants come to the United States because employers wink at the requirement that you be a legal resident in order to work," Barnhart said.

"This is a way to make that wink more expensive."

A similarly themed bill, sponsored by Edwards, passed the House on May 31 on a 57-1 vote. It requires businesses that get financial assistance from the state Department of Economic Development to enter signed agreements they will employ only legally documented workers. If convicted of employing an undocumented worker, the company would have to return the state's money.

Edwards rejects the criticism that this and other bills were about giving cover to Democrats from accusations in next year's election that they're soft on illegal immigration. He said proposals such as his offer meaningful reforms. But he acknowledged, too, that regardless of what the states do, people worried about the growing population of illegal border crossers aren't likely to be satisfied until Congress acts.

"Because the feds aren't doing their job, (voters) are looking at us at the state level to do what we can," he said.

"We're doing everything we can, but it isn't everything. We don't control the border."
--------------------------------
IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION

Here are some of the immigration-related issues before the Oregon Legislature and their status:
Hiring illegals: HB 3514 cuts tax deductions for companies that employ undocumented workers, and HB 3509 requires businesses to pledge not to hire undocumented workers or risk losing economic development grants. The first bill is in the House; the second passed the House and is in the Senate.
Driver's licenses: The House and Senate each have included language in separate bills requiring legal residency for driver's licenses. Those requirements are in SB 424 and HB 2827, which take opposing positions on how Oregon should respond to the federal Real ID Act. Each has been approved in its own chamber, but neither is expected to pass in the other.
Human trafficking: HB 2327 creates the crime of human trafficking. The bill is in the Ways & Means Committee.
Verifying legal status: Oregonians for Immigration Reform requested HB 2715, which requires every employer in Oregon to use a federally run database to check on the legal residency status of employees. The bill is in the House Elections, Ethics and Rules Committee.
Enforcing immigration laws: HB 2682 would have lifted an Oregon prohibition against state and local police and sheriffs detaining people solely on suspicion they are in the country illegally. The bill died in committee.

Junio 8, 2007
www.latinalistanet/palabrafinal/

Senate Inaction Means More Hate Directed at Innocent Legal Immigrants

—By Marisa Treviño

The defeat of yesterday's vote on moving forward with the immigration reform bill in the Senate was a huge disappointment for anyone who is tired of the rhetoric and wants to get on with the business of living.

Critics may think that the longer the bill is not passed, the longer undocumented Hispanics will suffer hardships to the point of being driven out of their homes.

The only problem is that the longer the bill sits in limbo, the longer Hispanics who are citizens are suffering.

There's no clearer example of this than what recently happened to Amilcar Arroyo.

Amilcar is a first-generation immigrant from Peru. He's a legal citizen, an entrepreneur who is the publisher of El Mensajero, a local Spanish-language newspaper, sits on the board of several distinguished non-profits like United Way, and is an 18-year resident of — Hazelton, Pennsylvania.

Yup, the cradle of anti-immigrant fervor.

Ever since the town's mayor spearheaded a campaign to pass a city ordinance that would fine landlords who rented to undocumented immigrants and business owners who employed them, it's been a most unfriendly town to people with brown skin or speak with an accent.

Ask Amilcar.

During a rally at Hazelton City Hall where hundreds of the mayor's supporters of his anti-immigrant ordinance had shown up, Amilcar, like a good journalist, went to cover the event.


Hazelton rally

Camera in hand, he was taking pictures of the people shouting "USA, USA" when all of a sudden a woman came up to him, and in something that sounds like a Biblical passage, began accusing him of being "one of them."

She thought Amilcar was one of the people suing the city over the illegal immigrant ordinance. He isn't.



Senate Republicans Send Clear Message about Immigration Reform: They Don't Want It

With only a five vote difference against cloture in today's final vote, the Senate has failed in not only coming together to reach a consensus to stop the grandstanding and roadblocking of what has been called The Grand Compromise, better known as the immigration reform bill, but they have prolonged the tremors rippling across this nation, to the point that it's only a matter of time before the fissures that have already developed will run so deep and so wide that there won't be any way to bridge the opposing sides.

Because of this evening's vote, the Senate Majority Leader has pulled the immigration bill from the floor.

What does that mean?

It means that for all the families who are hoping they can stop looking over their shoulders or nervously wondering if today is the day mami or papi or their son or daughter won't return home from work or waiting to finally tell mijo or mija that they can fill out the paperwork to go to college — the wait and wondering, the anxiety and the frustration, the desperation and the anger — will continue.

The Senate Majority Leader doesn't know when he'll bring the bill back to the floor. Probably after enough time has gone by when hurt feelings are forgotten and everyone is in a better mood to see things in a more rational manner.

Yet, he didn't mince words when he blamed a core group of Republican Senators who no matter what Democrats tried to do to appease them— they were determined to see the bill fail.

And it is disappointing that there exists within the chambers of this country's government such juvenile behavior that not even an attempt to reach a compromise was made.

If there was one Congressional chamber that gave us any hope that SOMETHING could have been passed it would have been the Senate.

In honesty, nobody is holding their breath that the House can pass something on their own. At the very least, some probably hoped that they would feel shamed by the Senate's swift action to come up with something in a timely manner.

Now, they won't have to.

After tonight's vote, one senate leader after another spoke at the microphone to express their disappointment and vow that the bill is not dead.

It can't be dead because too many real lives are at stake — and they don't have the luxury of putting aside their worries until everybody (the landlord, ICE, the police) is in a better


Undocumented College Students Plan Caravan to DC to Ask Congress to Pass The Dream Actmood to discuss their future.

—By Marisa Treviño

From all news accounts, the bill designed to fix our "broken immigration system" narrowly missed losing one of its key components of being an effective bill — addressing the humanitarian reality of the undocumented immigrants.

The missile sent to blow apart the current bill under debate was launched by Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn. Cornryn wanted the Senate to approve an amendment to the bill that would have permanently barred all convicted felons.

Or so he says in the official press release issued by his office.

From all news accounts, the bill designed to fix our "broken immigration system" narrowly missed losing one of its key components of being an effective bill — addressing the humanitarian reality of the undocumented immigrants.

The missile sent to blow apart the current bill under debate was launched by Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn. Cornryn wanted the Senate to approve an amendment to the bill that would have permanently barred all convicted felons.


Or so he says in the official press release issued by his office.

Funny, but the "official" press release fails to mention that Cornyn didn't just want convicted *** offenders, drug dealers and known members of terrorist groups to be barred but anyone who had been deported and re-entered the country.

Thankfully, Senator Kennedy was able to bypass the senseless points and include the ones that made sense from Cornyn's original amendment in an alternative amendment he presented and got passed today.

That precious time was spent arguing on an issue that educated people should know doesn't deal just not with reality but the facts, clearly exhibits who really wants immigration reform and who doesn't.

It was clearly a stretch to say that every man and woman and child who gets deported and sneaks back across is as dangerous as convicted *** offenders or drug dealers.

What's more realistic is to understand that the people who are deported, the vast majority of them, have their families here and in many cases are the sole breadwinners or caregivers of their families.

Why wouldn't they do everything in their power to come back across and rejoin their families?

It's just reality but Sen. Cornyn has never shown himself to be in touch with the illegal immigrant reality — and representing a state that is the second highest destination point for illegal immigrants — there's no excuse as to why he doesn't know.

That's why, he's going to be really surprised if he's in DC come July and sees a caravan of cars with Texas license plates making their way up Pennsylvania Ave.

On July 16-17, "The Trip Towards a Dream" caravan carrying Texas college-age students, who also happen to be undocumented, are going to DC to tell Congress and whoever will listen to them that they have the ganas and the determination to make something more of themselves than just blue-collar workers — if they're given the chance.


Dallas college students talk about their planned caravan to Washington.
(Source: dallasnews.com)

Students from colleges, universities and junior colleges from Houston and Austin, in addition to Dallas, hope to join other undocumented students from across the country in Washington to ask congressional leaders to support The Dream Act.

Cornyn should know that this is an important issue in a state like Texas where already 7,000 undocumented students take advantage of a state-wide law that lets them pay in-state college tuition.

Several states have recently passed laws not allowing these children the in-state advantage, even if they've lived all their lives in the state.

The Dream Act doesn't just ask for in-state tuition prices so that higher education is more affordable but grants them citizenship if they came here when they were children and can show to have solid good morals.

By making these students eligible to work legally, ensures that this country will have a competitive workforce in the future — to carry us all forward.

It's time to see the reality of what our future holds for us if we have significant numbers of young people unable to attend college or work legally.

There's no more time to look at an alternate reality that is tempered by privilege that insulates from what is happening in the real world.



Republicans Want the Hispanic Vote: Since When?
All these students deserve a chance and it's up to the adults to make the right decision.

—By Marisa Treviño
The 2008 Presidential race has officially begun.

There was no clearer indication of this than in last night's CNN-sponsored televised debate among the 8 declared Democratic hopefuls running for the Presidency.

Tomorrow night, it will be the Republican candidates' turns.

In the meantime, the inevitable push to "get out the Hispanic vote" has begun in full force as well. But it's almost laughable to hear Republican party leaders say they want the Hispanic vote when just a quick look at the roster of declared candidates already reveals this party is out of touch with reality on several fronts

Looking at the Democratic line-up, no one can argue that it is refreshing to see a selection of candidates that do reflect our society: a woman, a Latino, an African-American, married, unmarried, a mix of relatively young, and older candidates.

The Republican roster of candidates are mostly late middle-age to older white men.

If this was the cast of a television sitcom, there would be plenty of protests calling for program diversity.

And it's always struck me odd that a party, that on the one hand, says they are united and that they respect Latinos and want us to feel a part of their party, has subsidiary organizations that still advocate such divisive rhetoric as: "Keep the Heat on the Senate! No Amnesty! Close the borders!"

Yet, maybe it's not so surprising when we hear stories of Republican justice officials trying to defraud minority voters.

On June 13, 2007 Justice official Hans von Spakovsky, will appear before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee to defend accusations that he was a "key player in a Republican campaign to hang on to power in Washington by suppressing the votes of minority voters."

Hans von Spakovsky

In the 21st Century, in this country, there should be no place for stories like these, nor even a hint of stories that would suggest that one party doesn't value all members of society.

To me, it sounds like political suicide.

But for that to be the case, people of color need to be listening — not to the debates between Republican and Democrats, but to the arguments that are taking place between same-party members.

Something tells me that those debates are far more revealing.

Posted by Marisa Treviño on Junio 4, 2007 9:07

Immigration Bill's Backers Vow to Continue Efforts

Sponsors of a comprehensive immigration overhaul that has stalled in the Senate today vowed to persevere in seeking passage of the legislation this summer.

“We are not giving up,” declared Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the chief Democratic sponsor of the measure (S 1348), which Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., pulled from the Senate floor Thursday night after three attempts to limit debate fell least 15 votes short of the 60 needed.

Arlen Specter, R-Pa., one of the Republicans backing the measure, predicted that GOP senators who united to block further action on the bill Thursday will eventually relent, after agreeing on a “finite list” of about 10 or 11 additional amendments they want to offer.

Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said the work on an amendment list “illustrates that we have already begun the process of figuring out how to get this back together and concluded within the next few weeks.”

Kyl and Specter both chided Reid for moving to cut off debate before the Senate had debated even as many amendments as it considered last year on a similar immigration package. But they expressed optimism that the bill can be revived and passed.

Source: CQ Today Midday Update
Political Clippings compiled from BNN Frontrunner and CQ Politics.com.
© 2007 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bush Vows to Get Immigration Bill Passed

By SHERYL *** STOLBERG
Published: June 11, 2007

SOFIA, Bulgaria, June 11 — As he heads home from an eight-day European swing to face a hostile Congress, President Bush lashed out today at Democrats for scheduling a vote of no confidence on his attorney general, and vowed to get his stalled immigration legislation passed, saying, “I’ll see you at the bill signing.”

President Bush addressing reporters at a news conference today in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Addressing reporters at a news conference, Mr. Bush said the vote on Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales — which he called “a political statement on a meaningless resolution” — would have no bearing on Mr. Gonzales’ future, no matter how it turns out.

“They can try to have their votes of no confidence, but it’s not going to determine — make the determination who serves in my government,” Mr. Bush said, adding, “This process has been drug out a long time, which says to me it’s political.”

Mr. Bush’s plane took off bound for Washington late in the afternoon. His eight-day, six-country tour through Europe has been a welcome escape from his political woes at home. The president was mobbed with well-wishers on Sunday in Albania, and received a warm welcome today here in Bulgaria, where President George Purvanov hailed Mr. Bush’s arrival as “very cogent proof of the fact that our two countries’ relations are in their best state now in more than a hundred years of their establishment.”

But while the president has been gone from Washington, his already diminished clout on Capitol hill has seemed to deteriorate further. The immigration bill was put on hold when Republicans revolted. He was forced to withdraw his nomination of General Peter Pace to be chairman of the military’s joint chiefs of staff to avoid a bruising nomination fight. Mr. Bush put the blame on Congress.

And now Democrats, seeking to revive the controversy over Mr. Gonzales’ role in the dismissal of federal prosecutors, have scheduled the no-confidence vote.

“It’s an interesting comment about Congress, isn’t it, that, on the one hand, they say that a good general shouldn’t be reconfirmed, and on the other hand, they say that my Attorney General shouldn’t stay,” he said today. “And I find it interesting. I guess it reflects the political atmosphere of Washington.”

On immigration, Mr. Bush is facing a backlash in his party’s conservative wing, whose members decry the bill as amnesty. On Tuesday, he plans to attend the Senate Republican policy luncheon on Capitol Hill — a rare step for a president who typically has lawmakers come to him at the White House — in an effort to revive the measure.

“I’m under no illusions about how hard this is,” he said, adding that he was disappointed that the measure had been “temporarily derailed.”

Mr. Bush did not do much lobbying from afar. While on Air Force One Friday evening, on the way to Rome from Poland, he telephoned three top Republican Senators: Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader; Trent Lott of Mississippi, the whip, and Jon Kyl of Arizona, an architect of the bill.

“The political process sometimes isn’t pretty to look at,” Mr. Bush said. “There’s two steps forward and one step back. We made two steps forward on immigration, we took a step back, and now I’m going to work with those who are focused on getting an immigration bill done and start taking some steps forward again. I believe we can get it done. I’ll see you at the bill signing.”

Democrats Say They May Revisit Immigration Bill

By CARL HULSE
Published: June 11, 2007

WASHINGTON, June 10 — Senate Democrats opened the door to reviving the stalled immigration measure on Sunday, calling on Republicans to resolve their internal divisions and produce an agreement on how to move the legislation forward.

With Bush administration officials and Republican authors of the overhaul saying they had not given up on the bill, the spokesman for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said Mr. Reid would be willing to try again if Republicans agreed to a defined number of amendments and a time limit on debate.

“If and when Republicans can agree on a limited number of amendments and agree on the need to get this bill passed, Senator Reid is committed to finding room on the Senate schedule as soon as possible,” said Jim Manley, the spokesman, who said President Bush needed to play a role as well. “The hope is that he can apply enough pressure to provide the votes we need to get the bill out of the Senate.”

Mr. Bush is scheduled to visit the Capitol on Tuesday for a lunch with Senate Republicans. That meeting will come just days after the immigration proposal, one of his chief domestic priorities, was derailed when an effort to bring a two-week debate to a close came up far short of the votes needed.

On Sunday, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said the administration was “more determined than ever” to push the measure, which has drawn strong opposition from conservatives.

“Walking away from this bill suggests that we are comfortable with the status quo,” Mr. Gutierrez said on “Late Edition” on CNN. “And I think that’s a big mistake.”

The Senate effort on immigration collapsed Thursday night when Mr. Reid pulled the bill after Republicans could not agree among themselves on what amendments they wanted debated in exchange for moving to a final vote. Republican supporters of the bill joined its opponents to block a final vote, saying they needed more time.

Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, one of the main Republican proponents of the measure, suggested Sunday that he was running out of patience with some of his colleagues and was prepared to override their objections if there was not progress soon on an agreement.

“I want to make it clear that while I voted to allow my Republican colleagues more time to bring their amendments forth, they’ve had a good chance to do that,” Mr. Kyl said on the CNN program. “And I’m ready to vote to limit the further debate if they don’t come forward and give us the amendments that they want so that we can get it done.”

Faced with Mr. Reid’s deadline on Thursday, some Republicans — led by Senators Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Jeff Sessions of Alabama — blocked the Senate from considering even Republican amendments and called for much more debate than Democrats would accept. Democrats said that Mr. Kyl and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, needed to squeeze concessions from the senators fighting the bill though they were skeptical it could be done since some critics appear determined to kill the measure.

“We need a breakthrough on the Republican side,” Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It will take some leadership on the Republican side to agree on the number of amendments, to agree that we’re not going to waste more time on procedural slowdowns, and really get to the heart of the issue.”

Republican critics of the bill have called for more chances to eliminate provisions they describe as amnesty. The bill would allow some of those who entered the country illegally an opportunity to qualify for legal residency by paying fines and meeting other conditions. Members of the bipartisan coalition that drafted the bill also want another chance to overturn some changes that were made, such as a provision that would limit to five years a new temporary worker program sought by business interests.

Even if there is a new agreement, it is unlikely the Senate would return to the bill immediately. On Monday the Senate is to consider a politically charged proposal for a “no confidence” vote on Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, followed by a week or more of debate on energy legislation. Given high gasoline prices, Democratic leaders of the Senate are intent on showing the public they are taking steps to curb energy costs.

But Mr. Kyl predicted Sunday that the Senate would return to the bill and pass it before its Fourth of July recess, even though he acknowledged that the immigration battle was taking a political toll on the Republican Party.

“There is no political winner in this for us,” Mr. Kyl said on CNN. “But sometimes there are big problems that have to be addressed, and there’s no political gain in it and maybe even political loss. You’ve got to do it, nonetheless.”

White House pushes immigration changes

POSTED: 8:55 a.m. EDT, June 11, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush is not giving up on his plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants and will seek to convince skeptical GOP senators that it secures the nation's borders, administration officials said Sunday.

But the Senate's No. 2 Democratic leader said he was uncertain about the prospects for a deal. Sen. **** Durbin of Illinois cited opposition from a group of Senate conservatives who contend the legislation guarantees amnesty to illegal immigrants.

"We need a breakthrough on the Republican side," Durbin said.

Tony Snow, White House spokesman, and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez both predicted an immigration bill would pass once Bush meets with lawmakers this week and Congress reconsidered the measure. (Watch why Bush's role is vital to immigration bill )

Snow said Bush planned to listen to senators' concerns when he meets with GOP senators for a scheduled lunch Tuesday. Bush has been placing phone calls to Republican senators from Air Force One during a European trip.

"I think one of the things you do in this is you listen," said Snow, when asked what Bush planned to say. "And I think one of the concerns a lot of people have, at least around the country, is they say, 'Look, how can we trust you guys to enforce this? You had a border that's been open for 21 years. How can we trust you?"'

"If you take a look at the bill, it is the largest investment ever in border security," he said.

Last week, Senate backers of the immigration bill fell 15 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and allow a vote on the measure. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, then set the measure aside, calling it "the president's bill" and saying Bush's direct intervention was crucial to reviving it.

The legislation would tighten borders and offer employers more temporary workers from abroad in addition to providing lawful status to an estimated 12 million illegal aliens and putting many of them on a path toward citizenship.

Noting that the measure calls for investing in border security and would hit employers with harsher punishments for hiring illegal immigrants, Snow said the Senate could "wrap this up in two days" if Reid allowed additional debate on it.

Several Senate conservatives have said they were not allowed to offer enough changes to the bill, such as making it easier to detect and deport immigrants who have overstayed their visas or committed other violations.

"Our sense is if Majority Leader Harry Reid brings it back up, which he should, and permits a full debate, ... we're not only going to get a bill, but we're going to get a better bill, and it's going to be one that answers the express objections of a lot of people and, I think, provides a way of answering skeptics on issues like security," Snow said.

Gutierrez agreed. "I believe the votes were there, and I think some senators felt they needed more time and some amendments that did not get their due hearing," he said. "I have no doubt. This is going to go through because it's the right bill."

But Durbin said the Senate had two weeks of debate on the issue. Reid finally sought to cut off discussion when it became clear that several Republican senators who opposed the proposal offered "amendment after amendment after amendment, to the point where this was bogging down," Durbin said.

"It reached a point, a real impasse," he said. "So it will take some leadership on the Republican side to agree on the number of amendments, to agree that we're not going to waste more time and procedural slowdowns, and really get to the heart of the issue."

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana, said a compromise was possible but would take "hard work." Additional changes to the measure could improve chances for passage yet could doom it, too, he said.

"Every time you try and enforce the borders more, you offend people on the left. Whenever you try and regularize the status of people, you offend folk who want to enforce the border," Bayh said. "So, yes, there's a possibility. But I don't think we should be naive about it."

Gutierrez said it would be a "big mistake" if senators were to abandon the bill after coming so close to passage.

"I think the big picture is we have a bill here that will strengthen national security, that will improve our economy, that will make us a stronger society and if somebody has a problem with some of the tactics and the clerical issues and the details, let's debate them," he said. "But we should not walk away and keep the status quo."

Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, a Republican supporter of the immigration bill, said he believes skeptical conservatives can be persuaded to support the measure.

"All we have to do on the Republican side is sit down with those who have amendments, get those amendments in a reasonable package, not too many, but enough so all of the members can say they had their chance," he said.

Snow and Durbin appeared on "Fox News Sunday," while Gutierrez, Bayh and Kyl were on "Late Edition" on CNN.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.