WASHINGTON, June 8, 2007
Immigration Collapse A Blow To Bush
GOP Senators Play Key Role In Scuttling President's Immigration Reform Plan
-
Play CBS Video
Video
Immigration Reform Debate
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., and Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., disagree on the future of the immigration reform bill in Congress.
-
-
Photo
President Bush following a speech he made on immigration reform last year. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
-
Photo
Several hundred people rally for immigrant rights before boarding buses in Racin, Wis., to attend a rally in Milwaukee, Monday, May 1, 2006. (AP)
-
-
Interactive
Immigration And Naturalization
Who's coming to America? Find out what's being done to screen for terrorists and take a citizenship quiz.
-
Interactive
110th Congress
The balance of power shifts and new leadership takes control as the latest session convenes.
The measure to grant legal status to millions of immigrants who came unlawfully into the United States suffered a stunning setback in the Senate on Thursday.
The bipartisan compromise championed by the president failed a crucial test when it could not attract even a simple majority for an effort to speed its passage.
The biggest loser was Mr. Bush, who saw his major domestic initiative go up in smoke — at least for now. The president's Iraq policy has driven his approval ratings to all-time lows and it now appears immigration reform may well go the way of his previous bid to remake the domestic landscape: an overhaul of the Social Security system.
The Senate's Democratic leadership also suffered a setback. Senate leader Harry Reid failed to keep the legislation on track, in part because of the defection of some liberal senators in his own party.
But it was Republican senators who were mainly responsible for the defeat of the bill. Their action reflected widespread conservative unhappiness with the legislation.
Sen. John McCain, a stalwart GOP supporter of the reform package, appeared to be a loser as well. At the Republican presidential debate on Tuesday night, McCain was the only candidate to offer strong support for the president's plan.
Some political observers believe the defeat can be turned into a plus for McCain if the bill's failure eliminates immigration as a major issue for GOP voters.
The legislation now faces a very uncertain future. Democrat Reid said he hoped to pass the measure eventually, but he devoted much of his post-vote comments Thursday night to accusing Mr. Bush of doing too little to obtain Republican support.
"This Is the president's bill," Reid told a hushed chamber. "Where are the president's people helping us with these votes?"
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham defended the administration. "The White House has worked like a dog," he told reporters. Indeed, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff lobbied senators inside the Capitol right up until Thursday's showdown vote.
The White House argued the setback was not fatal for Mr. Bush's top domestic priority and urged Reid to allow the bill to continue to be debated and eventually receive a vote. Administration officials monitored the developments from Germany where the president was attending the annual summit of world leaders.
"He obviously is disappointed by the setback," White House counselor Dan Bartlett said of Mr. Bush. "But based on the latest information we have, there still is a good chance this bill could go forward."
Bartlett said the president did not call any lawmakers from Germany to lobby for the measure.
Reid insisted that the bill was not dead, but a crowded Senate calendar complicates its prospects.
"I, even though disappointed, look forward to passing this bill," Reid said. "I have every desire to complete this legislation, and we all have to work — the president included — to figure out a way to get this bill passed."
The measure's chances are even murkier in the House, where Democratic leaders don't plan to act on the divisive issue until the Senate has finished work on it.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader, said Democrats tried to rush the bill.
"I think we're giving up on this bill too soon," McConnell said.
The legislation would tighten borders and institute a new system to prevent employers from hiring undocumented workers, in addition to giving up to 12 million illegal immigrants a pathway to legal status.
Conceived by an improbable coalition that nicknamed the deal a "grand bargain," the measure exposes deep rifts within both parties and is loathed by most GOP conservatives.
All but seven Republicans voted against ending debate, with many arguing they needed more time to make the bill tougher with tighter border security measures and a more arduous legalization process for unlawful immigrants. Thirty-eight Republicans and Sen. Bernard Sanders, a Vermont independent, opposed the procedural tactic.
All but 11 Democrats supported the move, but they, too, were holding their noses at provisions of the bill. Many of them argued it makes second-class citizens of a new crop of temporary workers and rips apart families by prioritizing employability over blood ties in future immigration.
Thirty-seven Democrats and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, voted to advance the measure.
Proponents had argued that the bill, on balance, was worth advancing.
"We can all find different aspects of this legislation that we differ with," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the leading Democratic architect of the bill.
He held out hope after the vote that the measure would survive. "Doing nothing is not an alternative," Kennedy said. "This issue isn't going away."
"I believe that we will yet succeed," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., a framer of the bill who was one of few in his party who backed the procedural move.
The defeat for the compromise was the culmination of a week of ups and downs for the contentious immigration measure, which mirrored the tumultuous process that went into crafting it.
Kennedy partnered with Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and several centrists to craft a bill that melded conservative themes of tougher border security and limiting immigration with the liberal goal of legalizing those who are in the U.S. unlawfully and welcoming future arrivals.
In the end, however, Kyl broke from the bipartisan clique that hatched the agreement, siding with Republicans who said they hadn't gotten enough chances to toughen the bill.
"It's time to scrap this mess of a bill," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a conservative who had failed in several attempts to make the measure more punitive toward illegal immigrants.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
...
- 13
- next
See all 647 CommentsWhatever solution is reached, anyone with a brain should be able to determine that without the immigration workforce our economy would collapse.
Just wave the magic wand: make all illegial immigrants disapper overnight: produce rots in the field, bricks will stay at the factory instead of your new home, most industrial cleaning will not be done, and tons of construction will not be completed.
Good God almighty, I pay money to have you morons in Washington. You should be paying me for the priveledge of being so stOOOpid.
Posted by Dogband at 07:50 AM : Jun 07, 2007
................
Dogband, Senator Dorgan was partially correct. Unfortunately, the economic reasons why Americans "won't do the jobs that the illegals do..." has never been fully explained in the media. Let me explain some basic economics to you:
Illegal immigrants are doing jobs that Americans won't do FOR THE AMOUNT THAT THE JOB PAYS! In other words, if you are an illegal immigrant who just came across the border, shacking up with someone or sleeping on the streets, do you need $10+ an hour to pay mortgage, insurance, or utility bills??? NO!!!!!!
Illegal immigrants work for next-to-nothing wages, and the employers who hire the illegal aliens at minimum wage keeps more money in their pockets rather than paying for labor costs. Which is why so many unscrupulous/scumbag employers absolutely love illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigrants are a supply of laborers who work cheaply. American citizens are also a labor force, but most of whom have the burden of taxes and other life expenses that many illegal immigrants don't have. Therefore, us American citizens REQUIRE more money for the same job. AND IF THE JOB DOESN'T PAY THE MONEY WE NEED, THEN WE DON'T DO THAT JOB!!!
My God how did Americans ever survive before the Mexican invasion.I'm surprised we are all still alive since we would never pick OUR own crops. I wonder who built all the houses before the invasion. I guess we were all homeless living on the streets wondering aimlessly until these people came to save us from ourselves.
Profit is sometimes a "trickle up" effect in immigration - the majority do NOT benefit and NOT becasue of "laziness".
The civic involvement upon which our free society is founded is weakened:
%u201CInability to speak English impairs the capacity of a citizen to digest political speech, to serve on juries, to participate in judicial proceedings, to serve in the armed forces, and to participate in a military mobilization.
%u201CBut as more and more commerce is fouled by fast-food clerks who mistake orders, taxicabs drivers who misunderstand directions and telemarketers who can%u2019t explain why they called, sociologists and consumer behaviorists detect a palpable, collective complaint that%u2019s evolved into one of the most politically incorrect questions of the %u201990s: Can%u2019t anyone here speak English? ... Poor English skills among foreign-born residents cost more than $175 billion a year in lost productivity, wages, tax revenue and unemployment compensation, says Ohio University economist Lowell Gallaway.%u201D
%u201Cit%u2019s accentuated because 80 percent of the workforce is employed in service jobs. A lot of these jobs are filled by immigrants. But by definition, service means communication. If workers can%u2019t communicate, it certainly effects quality of life.%u201D
http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecenters641a
Posted by coffeehead
coffehead, they are not talking about "skill sets" for fast food clerks and telemarketers, they are talking about maneuvering around the H1B1 limits and further eroding the tech base as well as other higher paying professions in this country.
Do you suppose that all the Catholic Priests and other groups will educate those "newly legalized" citizens that they can join labor organizations to get higher wages, can apply for food stamps, social security for their parents, get free medical care at any hospital, and demand that their children be taught in Spanish???
And, before you know it, they will not do the jobs "that Americans won't do" (pure BS slogan of the DECIDER).
Our economy would NOT collapse for AG growers would pay whatever it took to get those vegetables picked. The meat packers, the landscaping, the hotels, and housing businesses would also have to pay a decent living wage to all their workers so they can support their families, and pay TAXES.
Why doesn't the Mexican Government establish state farms for these people to work on and ship the goods to the US and elsewhere, since they love to work so hard? The money they send home is the reason. Now if they come here to become an American citizen, and come through the front door, roll out the welcome mat!
It's not choppy waters......it's the Titanic and it has hit the iceberg! This thing is going down! If it passes the senate, the republicans who voted in favor will be serving their last term in office.
Just my prediction.
If Gates and his NWO buddies think our kids are behind tech times why aren't they investing HERE - the place that MADE them - instead of trying to look like a global robin hood. Somewhere between him taking our tax $$ and consumer profits and having a clearance sale with his labor needs for those "poor" of other countries - he's making a bundle.
I don't understand - We are not "short on college grads". How can they try to belittle americans AGAIN. Seems common - instead of machines fouling a vote - it was dumb americans' and chads... Now we are "lazy" and "undereducated".... But the numbers and facts don't mesh with their b.s.
The important point about the slow employment growth is that not all groups are equally affected. Since May is the month when new college graduates begin to enter the labor force, it makes sense to consider the employed share of the population by educational levels. The employment outlook has actually improved since March 2001 for people without a high school degree, but it has worsened for everybody else.
The employed share of the population without a high school degree increased by 1.8 percentage points to 42.9 percent in May 2007 from 41.1 percent in March 2001. The gains were especially strong for men without a high school degree (see Figure 1). Yet for all other educational levels, the employed share decreased from March 2001 to May 2007.
So when someone says that immigrants take jobs that Americans don't want, that person must think we live in a fascist country where government and business get together and set labor rates.
We have some really smart people awaiting the opportunity to come here and work.
I work for a large multi-national tech firm here in the US, there are almost 7000 workers here and if you didn%u2019t know where you were, you could easily believe you are on the Bangalore campus. I work in a group of 25, 4 are white, the rest are %u201CDiversity candidates%u201D. The company has a referral bonus, $2000 dollars if you refer and they hire, and they are white, the %u201Cdiversity%u201D referral is $10,000. Additionally, many of the %u201Cdiverse%u201D have risen into management since the 90%u2019s and now propagate favoritism in hiring. When the company I worked for had layoffs last year, the set policy for managers was %u201Cif two candidates have similar skill sets, the diversity candidate must be given preference%u201D. As for the college graduates in your post, China and India both have higher education for free or at very low cost. Our students walk in with sometimes 30 or 40 thousand in college loans and cannot afford to work as cheaply.
BTW-here's a link to the text of the 1986 bill
http://www.oig.lsc.gov/legis/irca86.htm
Do it according to the current LAW and I am all for immigration.
Trespassing, lawbreaking illegals are NOT deserving of ANY form of amnesty. They knew they were violating our law the moment they SNEAKED into OUR country.
We have LAWS on the books now which are NOT being enforced as they should be now, thus temporary amnesty has already been given. DEPORT, DEPORT, DEPORT... what part of that doesn't make sense if we, as LEGAL LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS, don't understand if it is the current LAW??? You law enforcement people need to get out of the donut shops and start enforcing the law PERIOD
Herd them up like we USED to and send them ALL back home, wherever they come from. If they want to come back and do it the PROPER WAY ACCORDING TO THE LAW, they should also go to the REAR OF THE LINE and wait until law-abiding immigrants have their turn FIRST....
NO AMNESTY FOR LAWBREAKERS PERIOD...
This is all about money, power and votes. Let's use our dollars and our votes to show them what it's like to lose hope, power and postion, and pensions. They can all go **** themselves.
Did I hear correctly last nite????????
If granted legal resident alien status, you are allowed the IRS Earned Income tax Credit??!!!!!!
NO, NO, NO!!!! Good grief, we're already bankrupt.
This should only be allowed for US CITIZENS!!! with a legal SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!!
Aliens Must be able to speak English!!
Aliens should be required to provide and pay for own health insurance for at least a period of time. (Why not? I pay for mine!!)
If they want to come, it shouldn't be at MY expense.
THAT IS WHAT EACH STATE GETS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FUNDS TO KEEP THESE ILLEIGALS IN PRISON.
ITS OUR DUTY AS AMERICANS TO PUT A STOP TO THIS GOVERNMENT AND WE NEED TO DO IT NOW
Why is it every time these A-holes come together with a "grand bargain" it turns out to be a victory for big business and a *** of the average Joe?
Did I hear correctly last nite????????
This is what was passed yesterday in that regard:
Agreed to Sessions Amdt. No. 1234; To save American taxpayers up to $24 billion in the 10 years after passage of this Act, by preventing the earned income tax credit, which is, according to the Congressional Research Service, the largest anti-poverty entitlement program of the Federal Government, from being claimed by Y temporary workers or illegal aliens given status by this Act until they adjust to legal permanent resident status.
Link to senate votes is:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_110_1.htm
Is Arlen Spector brain dead.
Oh, no we mustn't frighten them. We must make them feel good because we are so ashamed of ourselves for being rich American English speaking pigs. I think Congress needs some serious psychiatric therapy.
Well, she knows how to play it safe.
That way, no judge could overturn the idea by saying that it's un-constitional.
We are a nation of immigrants. No problem here.
My family's heritage is French & German, yet no one in my family can speak either language, because as immigrants, my ancestors assmilated and learned the English language.
Because that's what immigrants are supposed to do. Assimilate like all the immigrants in past did.
...
That way, no judge could overturn the idea by saying that it's un-constitional.
We are a nation of immigrants. No problem here.
My family's heritage is French & German, yet no one in my family can speak either language, because as immigrants, my ancestors assmilated and learned the English language.
Because that's what immigrants are supposed to do. Assimilate like all the immigrants in past did.
...
2. do nothing else
3. wait
4. this generation of illegals dies off, their children born here are already citizens, problem solved
5. cost = $ already spent anyway
6. shut up
Absolutely positively right. I woke up this morning thinking the same thing. One America unified. Dont' think for a minute that's a racist comment, it's not. Think of the future of the country 100-200 years. A country divided in half by the division of language. We need unification not division.
That way, no judge could overturn the idea by saying that it's un-constitional.
We are a nation of immigrants. No problem here.
My family's heritage is French & German, yet no one in my family can speak either language, because as immigrants, my ancestors assmilated and learned the English language.
Because that's what immigrants are supposed to do. Assimilate like all the immigrants in past did.
...
1) repeal the 14th amendment.
2) all people must apply for citizenship, regardless if they are born in the U.S. or not.
3) all people must qualify for citizenship
by serving in the military for a minimum of four years active duty.
by passing a english exam, written and oral
by passing a standard education apptitude test for math, basic science, and U.S. history.
4) Have no convictions - misdemenaors or felonies prior to being granted citizenship.
5) If convicted of a felony after attaining citizenship your citizenship is revoked!
6) Must not have been a registered member of the Democrat or Republican party!
2. do nothing else
3. wait
4. this generation of illegals dies off, their children born here are already citizens, problem solved
5. cost = $ already spent anyway
6. shut up
Posted by sandy19731
Add, enforce the 1986 law by prosecuting employers that are breaking the law. This woul;d be workable.
What the heck for ???? IT ALREADY IS, if you don't already realise that, this is a total non-issue.
NO IT IS NOT!!! voter information comes in Spanish and probably other lauguages too. Duh.
This is Bush's baby all the way, he's been all over it and securing every repug vote to get it. Now tell me, what did Pelosi do again ????? Probably can't now ..... LOL
Yeah I am LOL at you. This Kennedys bill all the way. Buah's comprimise because he wants to identify everyone. Both make me nauseous.
good addition,
thanks!
I didn't get to catch the final vote on that amendment.
& thanks for the link!
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
...
- 13
- next
See all 647 Comments