Bipartisan Immigration Deal Reached

(CBS/AP)  In a striking reach across party lines, the White House and key lawmakers agreed Thursday to reshape the nation's immigration laws and give millions of illegal immigrants legal status. At the same time, borders would be tightened.

The compromise brought liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans together with top members of President Bush's team on an issue that carries heavy potential risks and rewards for all involved.

The Senate will wade into an emotional and wide-ranging debate on the issue next week that promises to test the unlikely coalition that produced the deal. Almost instantly, the plan brought vehement criticism from both sides of the immigration issue, including liberals who called it unfair and unworkable and conservatives who branded it an overly permissive "amnesty."

The proposal constitutes a far-reaching change in the immigration system that would admit future arrivals seeking to put down roots in the U.S. based on their skills, education levels and job experience, limiting the importance of family ties. A new class of guest workers would be allowed in temporarily, but only after borders were fortified and measures were in place to ensure the rules were followed.

Under the proposed deal, the Department of Homeland Security is under new pressure to plug the holes in the porous border with Mexico, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. It must complete 370 miles of fencing, 200 miles of vehicle barriers, 70 ground-based radar and camera towers and deploy four unmanned aerial drones.

All of those steps have to happen before the 12 million illegal workers who are already in the country can pursue permanent legal status, Orr reports.

Mr. Bush said the proposal would "help enforce our borders but equally importantly, it'll treat people with respect."

Added late in the negotiations was the Dream Act, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. Immigrants who came illegally as children and are now in college or the military could stay and get a green card in just three years. This would be the fastest path to citizenship.

"This is a bill where people who live here in our country will be treated without amnesty but without animosity," Mr. Bush said.

The formula was enough to satisfy liberal Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. — viewed as his party's decisive voice on immigration — and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., a conservative who has been adamantly opposed to past overhauls.

Kennedy hailed it as "the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders and bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America."

Kyl said the measure wasn't perfect, "but it represents the best opportunity that we have in a bipartisan way to do something about this problem."

It was clear, however, that many Republicans and Democrats were deeply skeptical. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called the proposal a "starting point" for next week's debate and said it needed improvement.

"I have serious concerns about some aspects of this proposal, including the structure of the temporary worker program and undue limitations on family immigration," Reid said.

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[bblake259]

The way i look at illegal immigration is that they come to america take a job that a teenager may want instead of bugging the *** out of there parents for money then these immigrants finally go to school make it harder for americans to learn. Then u have more immigrants who come over here and sell drugs and commit crimes and make our taxes go up because we have to feed there ***'s. Now you have Borter Patrol agents going to jail because of shooting at immigrants that were attempting to kill them while trying to get over the border.. I mean come on we seriosly need to do better than make a law allowing more immigrants to come here.

[hamiltongrad]

You have to allow the law abiding good stay here, and kick out the bad.
What is disturbing is the fact tht it allows 400,000 new immigrants a year to get in. We have enough already, and need to assimmilate what we have, which is in ten of millions.
Job number one get a border fence. Get Federal ID cards and make all jobs require.
If we jump ahead of ourselves we will accomplish nothing.

[gaye5]

coffeehead, I have read that happy, healthy families are not conducive to world control, and what stands in the way of world control even more is, happy health religious families ... some say it is just another conspiracy theory. Well if it is just another theory, then we can only wonder as to why all these things which are in these conspiracies are happening world wide???... strange that eh..
Although smacking has been there since the beginning of time, parents are now being made to feel guilty for smacking their children as authorities tell them that it is brutality. I wonder why crime rates used to be at a very low number, and people used to be more secure. A lack of discipline in the home has caused a world where children do not learning self control and the most horrific crimes are now emerging at a rate that is horrifying..They see it on TV and go and act it out..
Why is it that most of these things have been introduced under left winged governments?? Is it perhaps because they are socialist, and from what I have read of left winged policies, it appears that all leaders of socialist/communist countries back all these things above and say that they will introduce them in the countries that they govern
We are now made to believe that what was once right is now wrong and what was wrong is now right... .. Is world control seems closer than we think.??. I would love to hear what others have read or heard..

[gaye5]

coffeehead, I have read much of this before, that if you mix up the races people loose their identity and are then easier to control.
I have read that they would make it so as people dont own anything, that they would destroy the family unit, make it so as the governments control child rearing, destroy their belief in God, make mums feel that unless they are at work that they are worth nothing, thus they dump their kids in day care centers, destroy the norms for morality, bring in gay marriages and homosexuality as normal, easy divorce, make abortion just a minor procedure, then add this to governments world wide bringing in human rights which takes away the rights of the majority, and discrimination which discriminates against the majority, etc etc, and you have control of the masses... then last but not least just as Hitler did, confiscate the guns of the people so as they cannot protect themselves, under the guise of tooo much violence in the world...all this and more, making it easier to manipulate and control..

[rhs648]

The whole issue of illegal immigration is that it is illegal. When someone sneaks into America, it is a violation of our laws. Speeders may never kill anyone. They are still violating the law. For most Americans, illegal immigration has little to do whether these people speak English, are of fine character, will work hard, take jobs other Americans don't want, etc. To most Americans, it is merely disdain for anyone who enters America illegally.

[jax3rd]

Gee, Sen. Teddy likes it, so it must be in the country's best interest. He IS an honorable man . . . so are they all, all honorable men. And the farmer hauled another load away . . . we here in Texas can tell it isn't hay.

[mikealford3]

....some of the people that live here without papers deserve an opportunity..not all of them are bad...some of them are more American than anything else..it's been proven...some of them pay taxes..some of them are SKILLED workers...some of them can contribute to our society... They should give the opportunity to people that have no criminal record and that live in this country for more than 4 years..lets say

Posted by Daniel12347 at 03:53 PM : May 18, 2007

1. Any immigrant without "papers"/proper documentation, does NOT deserve anything, he/she is breaking the law.

2. "Some" of them are more American, So why reward all of them?

3. "Some" of them pay taxes. Again why reward all of them?

4. "Some" of them are skilled and "some" "can" contribute to our society. Again, why reward all of them?

You still don't understand that this whole thing is rewarding people for breaking the law.

[daniel12347]

I support imigration the way that it was in the Ellis Island days ... NOT this junk ...

If they want to stop the ********, it is very easy ...

Plant millions of land mines about evry 2-3 feet along the first 50 feet of the Mexican border and sit back and watch the fireworks at night ... imigration problem solved ...


..that only shows how ignorant a person could be....some of the people that live here without papers deserve an opportunity..not all of them are bad...some of them are more American than anything else..it's been proven...some of them pay taxes..some of them are SKILLED workers...some of them can contribute to our society... They should give the opportunity to people that have no criminal record and that live in this country for more than 4 years..lets say

[mikealford3]

I am yet amazed once more. I just read a report that people in Mexico are upset and angry over the U.S.'s new policy on immigration. The mexicans argue that the new law does not allow enough mexicans in and gives preference to the more educated and skilled workers.

Yet another example of people feeling entitled to something. Since when does it matter what the Mexican people think about the laws in the United States?

We're running the country into the sewer, so we just as well give it to the sewer rats.

[rhs648]

The above extract was printed from the Banker's Manifest, for private circulation among leading bankers only.

Posted by coffeehead

The Bankers Manifest dates back to @ 1934 and is somewhat dated.