Sensenbrenner: House Republican Firm on Immigration Bill
The AP’s Suzanne Gamboa that Jim Sensenbrenner, (R-WI), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, remains firm in a number of his demands. Here’s some details from her article:
“This will set up a very difficult House-Senate conference committee because the approaches taken by the House and Senate on this issue have been 180 degrees apart,” said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and principal author of the more stringent House bill. “Amnesty is wrong,” he told a news conference.
Yesterday I wrote that the House, Senate Moving Towards Each Other, based on several quotes, including this Sensenbrenner quote
“I don’t think anything is a deal-breaker,” Sensenbrenner, who will lead House negotiators, said in a CBS appearance. “We can’t have legal proceedings to deport 11 to 12 million people, that is evident.” I’ll take Mr. Sensenbrenner at his word that there won’t be “legal proceedings to deport 11 to 12 million people”.
That said, I think it’s clear that there won’t be an eagerness on his part to establish an earned citizenship program right away.
My best guess is that he’ll demand that there be proof that the border is sealed off before the earned citizenship program would start. I’m also betting that he’ll demand that the silly Dodd Amendment be eliminated and the Sessions Amendment be strengthened in conference. The Dodd Amendment simply says that we must consult with the Mexican government before we build the wall and the vehicle barriers. That thing’s history already. There’s no way that Sensenbrenner will consent to that. I suspect that Sensenbrenner might, at most, agree to a provision that says we’ll notify the Mexican government when and where we’ll build the barriers and walls.
We’ll almost certainly see the Sessions Amendment, which provides for 370 miles of triple-layered walls and 500 miles of vehicle barriers, strengthened to a number much closer to the House’s 700 miles of triple-layered walls.
Bush, walking down the White House Colonnade with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday morning, ignored a shouted question about whether the House and Senate will be able to compromise. But he did say that an effective measure would protect U.S. borders, make employers responsible for people they hire, create a temporary worker program, deal with the illegal immigrants already in the U.S. and “honor America’s great tradition of the melting pot.”
If you read between the lines, you see the outlines for a compromise coming out. Notice that the President is saying that securing the border and holding employers accountable is as much a priority of his as the temp worker program and dealing with illegal immigrants. I don’t think that that’s the type of thing that Ted Kennedy, John McCain and Dick Durbin want to hear.
Technorati Tags: Sensenbrenner, HR4437, Immigration, Sessions Amendment, Border Walls
Cross-post at LetFreedomRingBlog
May 26th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
The concept of earned citizenship is laughable, when you consider what will happen to those who don’t bother. Basically nothing will happen - the same thing that happens to illegals in the country now. Sensenbrenner has all the good points and the public on his side. Hopefully he can ridicule the Senate and Bush into caving in.
If Tony Snow is the best they’ve got, they’ve got nothing. The thing to get out of the Limbaugh/Snow interview is the White House still does not get it and is not talking coherently about this yet.
May 26th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Actually, Tony’s point about the card, coupled with more Border Patrol agents doing raids in Colorado, Utah, etc. will dramatically change things. If companies feel threatened by large fines for hiring these immigrants, then they’ll stop hiring them.
Once these illegals know that jobs are drying up, they’ll either enter the guest worker program or they’ll stay home. Here’s something that my friend King Banaian posted at SCSUScholars:
One more point to make about Gary’s post is his correct analysis of the role of the biometric ID card. One of the items watered down in the Simpson-Mazzoli bill — which was long on employer sanctions in its intent at least — was that the I-9 form employers had to file permitted a broad variety of possible identification (see page 3 of the form). It is correct for critics of the Bush proposal to insist on a very narrow definition of the documentation needed to establish residency. If you snuck in and don’t have it, I’m inclined to say ‘tough luck’. For the same reason, we can’t continue to allow fuzzy documentation of I-9s.
If conservatives put the pieces of the information puzzle together, they’ll see that solid legislation can emerge. The key is putting pressure on senators to move more in the House direction than vice versa.
May 26th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
Yeah, we’re all happy to see employer penalties included in amnesty legislation.
They were in the last amnesty bill, too. All it takes to get around that is a few quick calls to Senators and Reps, a few quid pro quo election donations, and the INS (or whatever name they have this week) runs for cover like a whore in a raid.
From the vote, any honest American should be able to pick out at least 62 traitors in the Senate. And my great state of whoregon has two of them.
May 26th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Hopefully we can put more starch in our congressmen by showing support for their bill.
Please get involved with 21st Century Paul Revere Ride
It will be in California soon. Let’s RAISE A RACKET!!
May 26th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
[...] Cross-posted at California Conservative Categories: House of Representatives, Senate, President Bush, Immigration, Sovereignty | [...]
May 26th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
All this talk from amnesty do-gooders sounds like they want to pass the EXISTING LAW into law. Oooooh, so the new law provides for the Feds doing raids on businesses. THE EXISTING LAW LETS THEM DO THAT NOW!!
Okay, I know you guys are sick of hearing from me. Well I am sick of reading my comments too. I’ve been a Republican my whole voting life, but I’ve had enough of this dogshit.
May 27th, 2006 at 3:48 am
I figure they will drag it out till the elections and pass it the first of the new year