Immigration: Bipartisan Deal

[a]

latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/01/28/immigration-senators-unveil-bipartisan-deal/


Immigration: Senators Unveil Bipartisan Deal

A bipartisan group of eight leading senators — including Marco Rubio of Florida and New Jersey’s Robert Menendez — have reached a tentative deal on a systematic overhaul of the country’s immigration system.

The agreement covers border security, guest workers, employer verification and a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants already in this country.

The senators will present the principles of their deal to rewrite the nation's immigration laws at a news conference Monday afternoon. Sources told Fox News that they expect to finish writing the new bill and introduce it by March or April.

Although thorny details remain to be negotiated and success is far from certain, the development heralds the start of what could be the most significant effort in years toward overhauling the nation's inefficient patchwork of immigration laws.

President Barack Obama also is putting immigration reform front and center. He’s expected to travel to Las Vegas on Tuesday to lay out his vision, which is expected to overlap with the Senate effort.

The eight senators expected to endorse the new principles Monday are Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado; and Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona.

Several of these lawmakers have worked for years on the issue. McCain collaborated with the late Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on a major reform bill pushed by then-President George W. Bush in 2007, only to see it collapse in the Senate when it couldn't get enough GOP support.

Now, with some Republicans chastened by the November elections which demonstrated the importance of Latino voters and their increasing commitment to Democrats, some in the GOP say this time will be different.

"What's changed, honestly, is that there is a new, I think, appreciation on both sides of the aisle — including maybe more importantly on the Republican side of the aisle — that we have to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill," McCain said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"I think the time is right," McCain said.

The group claims a notable newcomer in Rubio, a potential 2016 presidential candidate whose conservative chops may help smooth the way for support among conservatives wary of anything that smacks of amnesty. In an opinion piece published Sunday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Rubio wrote that the existing system amounts to "de facto amnesty," and he called for "commonsense reform."

According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, the senators will call for accomplishing four goals:

Creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already here, contingent upon securing the border and better tracking of people here on visas.
Reforming the legal immigration system, including awarding green cards to immigrants who obtain advanced degrees in science, math, technology or engineering from an American university.
Creating an effective employment verification system — the one currently used is called “E-Verify” — to ensure that employers do not hire undocumented immigrants.
Allowing more low-skill workers into the country and allowing employers to hire immigrants if they can demonstrate they couldn't recruit a U.S. citizen; and establishing an agricultural worker program.

The principles being released Monday are outlined on just over four pages, leaving plenty of details left to fill in. What the senators do call for is similar to Obama's goals and some past efforts by Democrats and Republicans, since there's wide agreement in identifying problems with the current immigration system.

The highest point of contention is likely to arise over how to accomplish the path to citizenship.

In order to satisfy the concerns of Rubio and other Republicans, the senators are calling for the completion of steps on border security and oversight of those here on visas before taking major steps forward on the path to citizenship.

Even then, those here illegally would have to qualify for a "probationary legal status" that would allow them to live and work here — but not qualify for federal benefits — before being able to apply for permanent residency. Once they are allowed to apply they would do so behind everyone else already in line for a green card within the current immigration system.

That could be a highly cumbersome process, but how to make it more workable is being left to future negotiations. The senators envision a more streamlined process toward citizenship for immigrants brought here as children by their parents and for agricultural workers.

The debate will play out at the start of Obama's second term, as he aims to spend the political capital afforded him by his re-election victory on an issue that has eluded past presidents and stymied him during his first term despite his promises to the Latino community to act.

"As the president has made clear for some time, immigration reform is an important priority and he is pleased that progress is being made with bipartisan support," a White House spokesman, Clark Stevens, said in a statement. "At the same time, he will not be satisfied until there is meaningful reform and he will continue to urge Congress to act until that is achieved."

For Republicans, the November elections were a stark schooling on the importance of Latino voters, who voted for Obama over Republican Mitt Romney 71 percent to 27 percent, helping ensure Obama's victory. That led some Republican leaders to conclude that supporting immigration reform with a path to citizenship has become a political imperative.

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"Bipartisan" is code word for Repos doing exactly what Dems want them to do.

[a]

Might just get another Reagan amnesty deal, like Bush proposed.

[a]

If "Bipartisan" means anything other than "Bipartisan" it means that lobbyists have their bought and paid for politicians all on the same page.

[Shirina]

It simply means that Republicans are finally realizing that they will never win another election unless they move away from their extremist views and acknowledge the fact that white males alone no longer have the power to decide who sits in Congress and the Oval Office.

[Deleted]

Yup. Let's give away the farm to get votes. Buy, buy , buy. The Dems are Santa Claus. You want it, here ya go. We will sign the checks while Repos are telling people they need to eat broccoli. But, eventually, the end result of all of this will come home to roost. So, brace yourselves as we continue Credit Card Economics while Obama spends us into oblivion.

[Shirina]

We will sign the checks while Repos are telling people they need to eat broccoli.

I think the American people are fed up with being told to eat broccoli while the rich continue to eat caviar. Obama wants the rich to tighten THEIR belts, for a change, and guess what - it has received overwhelming support, even from many rich folks.

Oh, I know that will only fill a small part of the economic void between how much money we have and how much we need, but see my post in the "Obama failure" thread for more on that topic.

[robinpa]

Jan 30, 2013 7:37:53 GMT -5 Shirina said:

We will sign the checks while Repos are telling people they need to eat broccoli.

I think the American people are fed up with being told to eat broccoli while the rich continue to eat caviar. Obama wants the rich to tighten THEIR belts, for a change, and guess what - it has received overwhelming support, even from many rich folks.

Oh, I know that will only fill a small part of the economic void between how much money we have and how much we need, but see my post in the "Obama failure" thread for more on that topic.

In fact Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the US has very publicly endorsed the idea that the top 1% should be tightening their belts and kicking in more. The right wingers are still crying about Romeny/RYan's embarrassing loss in the election but they still refuse to understand why they lost. The majority of Americans just dont buy the repos or tea party's BS anymore.

It simply means that Republicans are finally realizing that they will never win another election unless they move away from their extremist views and acknowledge the fact that white males alone no longer have the power to decide who sits in Congress and the Oval Office.

Very true Shirina

[jackthelad]

Well has an outside observer from over the water, the Tea Party haven't had much of a tea party yet. More like a wet picnic in the park, I think Fuzzems is barking for the wrong side, I say barking because I think she is barking mad.

[Deleted]

Arf! ;D

[Shirina]

In fact Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the US has very publicly endorsed the idea that the top 1% should be tightening their belts and kicking in more.

So did Ben Stein, one of the most conservative figures in right-wing politics. He actually went on Fox News to explain why and he was practically thrown off the set. Conservatives are "conservatives," if you take my meaning. They don't want to change - and they don't want the country to change. That will be their downfall.

No offense to the Brits here, but that's part of the reason why the British Empire fell apart. Nations resistent to change fall by the wayside. As I said at least twice before, history is littered with the corpses of empires which discovered a winning formula for success and believed that formula would continue to work forever.

It's like someone entering a souped-up Model T into the Indy 500 in 2013 and believing he can win because he won a bunch of races with that same car back in 1922.

[Coldwarrior]

In the 1800's Michigan was populated by illegal immigrants from Canada. They arrived here on boats by the hundreds. No border guards. No immigration service at all. My wife's grandmother was born in Detroit and half of her brothers and sisters were born in Montreal. Her father was a ships carpenter and would live in both countries. Immigrants for European countries passed through Canada into this country the same way.
Most of them stayed and nobody asked for a birth certificate when they voted. If they lived here, that was enough.