Immigration Bill passes out of Senate Committee

 

 "Rubio said in a statement that the committee “made real improvements to the bill” but that more work needs to be done. “We have an historic opportunity to end today’s de facto amnesty and modernize our immigration system to meet our 21st century needs,” Rubio said. “I remain optimistic that the Senate, by improving the bill through an open and deliberative floor debate, will seize this opportunity.” On Tuesday, the panel defeated multiple attempts to alter the pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants living illegally in the country. The high-tech visa agreement hammered out by Schumer and Hatch was one of the last remaining pieces of unfinished business and was added to the underlying bill by a voice vote Tuesday afternoon. Schumer spent days working with Hatch, hoping that a deal could persuade the Utah senator to back the bill and boost the bipartisan momentum. “Many things that are there I like, some things I don’t like,” Schumer said."  politico

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If the border can be protected from further illegal immigration, and the process of "pathing" is sufficiently onerous so that it cannot be said to be amnesty, then it may pass.  pl 

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/senate-immigration-bill-gang-of-eight-91644.html

Comments

[William R. Cumming]

As I have previously stated all illegal immigration and legal should be divided like Gaul into three parts.
First, Mexico! Then China! Then the rest of the world!

The bill voted out of committee reflects the high-tech lobbying of Silicon Valley entreprenuers and China! Essentially amnesty for these interest groups and their need for immigration legal or illegal.

Rubio is caught in a bind because the death of the Castro Brothers will again raise huge issues for the USA and of course MLB [as to who exactly owns the Havanna and Santiago Franchises]!

According to the PEW Foundation's research Asian immigration to the USA has exceeded Hispanic immigration since 2010 and will never again in all probability fall below it.

[Edward Amame]

House Dems were already concerned that the House immigration bill was drifting too far right. If they were foot-dragging, pinning their hopes on getting something better from the Senate that they could start working off, US News reports that "GOP members of the House working group say the Senate bill, even if it received overwhelming support on the Senate floor, would still face an onslaught of conservative amendments once it landed in the House."

My bet is that it's gonna get rigged to explode in the House (Google: Party of No).

[Tyler]

This bill does nothing for border enforcement (a lot of promises that DHS is not required to enforce) while allowing illegals access to welfare, SSI, and other federal benefits which has all been covered up by a haze of obfuscation.

This is amnesty, plain and simple. A white flag to the world raised by the traitors in the Senate.

[robt willmann]

1. The graphic above of proposed border fencing makes me wonder if any of the experienced former (and maybe current) persons who worked for the U.S. government in various capacities who read this website remember what the old border of former East Germany looked like. A comparison? Soft ground to pick up footprints? Fencing? Guard towers now replaced by sensors and unmanned surveillance aircraft?

2. A fence that can keep others out can keep us in, as was done in East Germany. I am not an "open borders" advocate, but am wondering about different aspects of any proposed program.

3. Keeping in mind the number of vehicles that cross the border with Mexico each day, how are you going to make the border "more secure" without significantly slowing or stopping the vehicle traffic each way?

4. If the path to some "legal status" -- a/k/a amnesty as a matter of reality -- is even somewhat or maybe just slightly onerous, the illegal immigrants/aliens will simply continue to live in the shadows, pay no income or social security taxes, and so forth. Why should they change their way of life? Right now I cannot visualize the thousands of illegal Mexican natives living in the west and south sides of San Antonio coming in and going through a convoluted and bureaucratic set of procedures that will be time consuming and expensive for them. The only method that might have some impact is if the government came down really hard on employers, but that can meet political resistance.

5. One needs to be watchful for little things buried in the immigration bill that actually negatively impact our lives and freedom (what little is left) more than they will affect illegal immigration, such as creating a national federal multipurpose database that would really be a centralized dossier on everyone in the U.S., a national ID card, domestic tracking of persons, etc. Remember that presently there is a radio frequency ID (RFID) chip in U.S. passports and passport cards.

[jerseycityjoan]

I sure hope this bill doesn't pass.

Earlier this year I thought it was ridiculous to be worrying about immigration at a time when so many Americans have problems and concerns that are going unaddressed -- and then I thought, well, maybe that's my answer right there about why they're doing the bill now.

In any case, I wsa prepared to accept the inevitable legalization of the illegal immigrants we have now.

But as I saw more and more programs added for future new immigrants and temporary work visas, with more and more visas being pushed for by all kinds of groups (even the South Korean government, I kid you not, they want visas especially set aside for them!) and granted, I realized this bill is just awful and only going to get worse.

There's a lot of folks who think that if people are here legally, that's OK. But it's not, because too many people are too many people, period. The special interests groups and businesses are hoping to keep bringing in a ridiculously high number of people indefinitely, all under the cloak of legal immigration.

Passing this bill as is will be disasterous for American workers. It will greatly increase our population in future years.

Nobody could really want an America of 800 million or a billion people, but that's the America we are creating for our descendants. God help them.

I am hoping we do nothing on immigration this year and that the issue is revisited again in a few years.

[jerseycityjoan]

I am surprised you think that many illegal immigrants wouldn't want to be bothered with time and money spent on legalization.

What they would get in real and tangible benefits would be so much greater than any sacrifice of time or money spent on fines which will be nominal at best.

Granted they will have to wait for the healthcare, retirement, unemployment, Food Stamps, etc., but why wouldn't they want to anchor themselves here? Wouldn't you, if you were them?

[jonst]

Tyler...this bill has done the near impossible...two guys with dramatically divergent outlooks like you and I, are in lockstep agreement.

[The Twisted Genius]

Robt Willmann makes some excellent points, especially about dangerous little things buried in the bill. A week or so ago, Wired ran an article pointing out an obscure passage in the proposed bill calling for the establishment of a "photo tool" that would include photos, names, ages and SSNs of most if not all U.S. citizens. Although the bill specifically says no national ID card system will be established, the national photo tool data base could be far worse. It would have the potential to give DHS and the federal government way too much power over all citizens. It's the stuff of too many science fiction dystopias. I looked at the wording in the bill. It looks like the police state advocates are trying to pull a fast one on all of us.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/05/immigration-reform-dossiers/

[twv]

This is all about creating millions more Democrat voters - with the connivance of the Republicans, the stupid party.

I really had some hope for Rubio, but he turns out to be just another professional BS'er with the intellect of a french fry.

[Will Reks]

I think your last paragraph is particularly worrisome. The hysteria over immigration reform and voter fraud is going to lead to further privacy violations. National ID cards.. yes I suspect this is coming as well as some kind of implanted RFID chip. Maybe that's a bit too much tin foil hat but I can see where this will go.

[Tyler]

And that's the reason why Enoch Powell had the right of it, because average joes like you and me can look at this and know it stinks while our 'elites' tell us what's good for us.

[Edward Amame]

Interesting observation about the fence keeping people in. Some people make the case that increased border security has had the effect of ending the old ebb and flow at the border. Where migrant workers used to crossover for seasonal work then go back to their families in Mexico, now they stay.

[Matthew]

Tyler: I'm pretty welcoming to Latinos, but have always been nauseated by the hyposcrisy of the immigration debate. What is compassionate about rewarding people for breaking the law? What is compassionate about constanting bringing in low wage labor when the low wage/low skill American worker has high unemployment?

Ever since David Bonior retired, it seems, that no one even asks questions about the challenges working people face.

The Colonel's instincts are correct. This will be the third amnesty of my adulthood. And, in ten years, we will again talking about "immigration reform" and a fourth amnesty.

[Matthew]

Twv: You had some hope for Rubio when he said that Israel was our "most important ally"?

[Tyler]

This is compassion like NAFTA was compassion: cloying emotional sentiment dressed up as rational thought. The ads that I get to hear on talk radio with 'tuff sounding' Rubio, Flake, and Graham make me ill to my stomach. Flake thinks that because he voted against gun registration that his approval rating is in the toilet. No you fool, its because you came out against Wil Cardon as an immigration hawk in the primary and the first thing you do is plead for amnesty!

I've made the point on my blog that this kind of massive importing of a foreign people has borne one of two results, as witnessed by history: segregation or ethnic cleansing by the host population.

We've made segregation illegal. Guess what's left?

[r whitman]

The subject prior to this one is Moore, Oklahoma. The major portion of the cleanup will be performed by illegal immigrant labor, same as for Katrina and Ike. Nobody will check citizenship or immigration papers, just write checks at $10/hr.

[Tyler]

A Uk soldier hacked to death by two Muslim immigrants in the middle of London, and the powers that be who are responsible for the unfettered immigration have the stones to cry about what a tragedy it is.

Diversity!

[Allen Thomson]

> The only method that might have some impact is if the government came down really hard on employers, but that can meet political resistance.

No kidding. The core of the illegal immigration problem is a large segment of the business community, which is in turn an important part of the core constituency of the GOP (not to be confused with its base).

See http://www.federalnewsradio.com/615/3325324/Problems-surface-over-Arizs-2007-immigration-law

[Stephanie]

Yes. The Democrats see new voters and the Republicans see cheap labor. In the committee negotiations Orrin Hatch was point man for the Silicon Valley techies who don't care for unions and want to import skilled workers without mobility and options who are thus cheap and docile. It's a win-win. For some.

[Alba Etie]

What is your blog address Tyler ?

[r whitman]

Collectively, the largest employer of illegals is as household help, maids, nannies and gardeners, in the homes of rich and upper middle class. In most cities of the US you will find a colonia adjoining the well to do areas.

[cal]

Does anyone besides me get the impression that if they aren't a illegal, a gay, a jewish casino owner,a WS mogul..that they are "throw aways' ...dont count Americans ?

[Medicine Man]

Click on his name.

[Tyler]

You can click on my name or just type jackhanson.blogspot.com in your browser.

[Tyler]

That's been my bloody shirt for quite a while now.