Today, we face the greatest threat of a mass amnesty bill passing in the Senate since the Gang of 8 bill passed through the chamber back in 2013.
Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Rounds (D-S.D.), and Angus King (I-Maine) have teamed up to offer an amendment that would -- based on DHS's estimation -- gut interior enforcement and grant amnesty to more than 10 million illegal aliens ... including some who aren't even here yet!
NumbersUSA's Director of Government Relations, Rosemary Jenks, issued the following statement earlier today:
NumbersUSA is asking our 9 million activists to contact their Senators and oppose the Schumer/Collins/Rounds/King amendment -- The amendment offered by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Angus King (I-Maine) would grant amnesty and a path to citizenship to well over 1.8 million illegal aliens. Shockingly, the amendment also would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from removing any illegal aliens currently here, or who can get here by June 30, 2018, unless they are convicted of a serious crime. This would effectively grant amnesty to the 12 million illegal aliens already in the country, plus anyone in the world who can enter illegally or overstay a visa in the next four months.
The drafters of the amendment didn't think that giving an amnesty to 1.8 million DACA-eligible illegal aliens was enough. So they buried a section on the last two pages to limit federal immigration enforcement efforts to illegal aliens who:
- Have been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or 3 or more misdemeanor offenses;
- Pose a threat to national security or public safety; or
- Have arrived in the United States after June 30, 2018.
The original draft would have prioritized illegal aliens who entered the country after January 1, 2018 or have not been physically present for a continuous period since June 15, 2012, but they amendment's drafters literally scribbled out those provisions and changed it to prioritize only illegal aliens who arrived after June 30, 2018. It's an open invitation to the world to come to the United States over the next 4-1/2 months and receive an amnesty!
The Schumer/Collins/Rounds/King proposal isn't a serious proposal, but what's terrifying is the fact that there are rumors that the amendment may actually be approved by the Senate later today when it comes to the floor for a vote. It already has the support of Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
The good news is that the White House has just issued a veto threat should the Senate pass the Schumer/Collins/Rounds/King amendment.
CHRIS CHMIELENSKI is the Director of Content & Activism for NumbersUSA
