Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and at least one other Republican Senator used a procedural move today to block the first votes on amendments to S. 744, the comprehensive amnesty bill. Under Senate rules, unanimous consent is required for various purposes, including the scheduling of amendments. Sen. Sessions used the body’s rules to thwart the first votes.
In a letter to Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), ICE Union President Chris Crane says the Gang of Eight's bill, S.744, is flawed because it places "new restrictions on interior enforcement." Crane writes that the bill would make the current situation worse and more hazardous and urges them to reject S.744 and instead focus on Rep. Trey Gowdy's (R-S.C.) interior enforcement bill and Rep. John Barrow's (D-Ga.) border security and interior enforcement legislation introduced in the House.
We have a ton of work ahead of us, but you have done an amazing job thus far with your phone calls and faxes and personal appearances.
State Legislators for Legal Immigration, a group comprised legislators from 38 states, urged Members of the U.S. Senate to reject S. 744, the comprehensive amnesty bill.
Few regions will absorb the impact of future immigration reforms more than Los Angeles County, home to an estimated 1.1 million people in the country illegally, one-tenth of the nation's total.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said that he plans to force a GOP conference should House Leadership decide to move forward on an unpopular amnesty bill in the House of Representatives. Under caucus rules, any Member can can force a closed-door session if he can gather 50 signatures. The session would force a caucus vote on the bill in question, and Leadership is supposed to follow the will of the caucus.
This week is the real thing. Many of you have been with us while we turned back every amnesty attempt from 2001 through last year. Most of the time, a bill never got to the floor.
During debate on the Department of Homeland Security’s appropriations bill, the House voted cut off funds for implementing Administration policies that shield most illegal aliens from the threat of deportation. The 224-201 vote on an amendment sponsored by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) could be a harbinger of the difficulties amnesty proponents face in the coming debate over immigration reform.
After several more North Carolina sheriffs signed on to a letter to Congress from the law enforcement agencies across the nation, Rep. Walter Jones issued a statement on Wednesday saying he stood by the sheriffs in their opposition to the Schumer-Rubio-Obama amnesty bill. Rep. Jones said he, too, is concerned about the bill's lack of interior enforcement.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Pres. Barack Obama is actively trying to persuade lawmakers to pass the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill. Not only is the President lobbying lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, but his political activism group, Organizing for America, is mobilizing its activists to help get the bill passed.
Florida Governor Rick Scott vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have codified existing state policy allowing illegal aliens with federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status to receive a driver's license.
On Tuesday, four Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jeff Sessions, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, and Chuck Grassley, sent a letter to their Senate colleagues urging them to oppose S.744, the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill. They say that the Gang of Eight's bill repeats the mistakes of the 1986 amnesty and instead the country needs legislation that will secure the borders, enforce the laws on the books, and improve the legal immigration system.
A group of Black Leaders sent a letter to Congress on Monday warning them about the negative impacts the Gang of Eight's immigration bill will have on Black Americans. The group sent their letter to Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Senators from states with the highest levels of Black unemployment.
Do you think your Senators realize that, in the hundred years between our country's first Census in 1790 and 1890, the numerical level of that incredible flow of immigration from Europe that filled the Eastern Seaboard and spread out across the continent was - - - - - nearly 2 million immigrants per decade. The world had never quite seen a movement like that of masses of people fleeing a crowded continent and completely taking over another.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, former President George W. Bush questioned pursuing immigration reform based on political motives. During his presidency, Bush had actively pushed for amnesty-based immigration reform but did not primarily sell it as a political imperative.
In at least one critical aspect, the Gang of Eight's immigration bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee the same way it went in: there is no enforcement required before before 11 million illegal aliens start to receive their legal status and work permits. The question of whether to put amnesty before enforcement or enforcement before amnesty is central to the debate. Yet some reporters still struggle to explain this fundamental aspect of the bill.
In 2007, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voted against amnesty for illegal aliens. Last Friday, in an interivew with the Washington Post, he expressed major concern with the Gang of Eight's bill after it was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Here's the 30-second video raising deep moral questions about what kind of national community we are going to be.
The Senate Gang of Eight immigration bill would offer a minimum of 33 million lifetime work permits in the first decade alone (11 million to current illegal immigrants, 11 million to new legal immigrants in a continuation of the current system, another 5 million chain migration relatives of immigrants who have applied but are waiting for their slot in other countries and 6 million new immigrants through new categories and expanded existing categories of immigration). The 33 million in a single decade is almost half of all immigrants who have ever entered the U.S. in its history.
The Washington Post is confounded by its own poll. Only 18 percent of Americans support the Gang of Eight's legalization-first approach to illegal immigration, according to a Washington Post / ABC News poll. Yet the Post began its story on the poll with, "Comprehensive immigration reform moves to the Senate floor next week with solid overall support from the public."
A new Fox Poll surveying 1,000 registered voters over the last several days has found that 73% of Americans favor securing the border before making changes to immigration policy. This percentage is up from polls in April and February showing 68% and 69%, respectively, support for enforcement before amnesty. The Gang of Eight's bill, S.744, puts the amnesty before the enforcement provisions kick in.
This past Tuesday, grassroots groups around the country took part in a national day to remember 1986. At least 50 separate organizations banded together under the banner "Remember 1986 Coalition." With a unified voice they asked Senators, the press, and fellow Americans to remember the broken promises of the 1986 amnesty bill and warned to not let it happen again.
The Senate Judiciary Committee completed its markup of the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, S.744, this evening, approving the bill 13-to-5. Three Republicans, including Gang of Eight members Senators Jeff Flake and Lindsey Graham along with Sen. Orrin Hatch voted with the Democratic majority. While the Committee did approve several bipartisan amendments, all amendments to increase the enforcement provisions or reduce the future flow of legal immigration were rejected.
A large group of conservative leaders, radio talk show hosts, and tea party groups have sent a letter to Congress announcing their opposition to the Gang of Eight's bill. It was once thought that Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) participation with the Gang of Eight would help bring the support from many of the individuals and groups, but they all argued that there are too many flaws in the bill to support the entire package.
On Tuesday, May 21st, state and local groups around the country will hold a series of press conferences to highlight their opposition to S. 744, the Senate’s comprehensive amnesty bill. The goal is to call attention to the bill’s many failings and to promote an immigration-enforcement approach to reform.
Last week, the union that represents the nation's 7,600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sent a letter to Congress warning it that the Gang of Eight's amensty bill, S.744, would endanger the public safety. Dozens of local law enforcement officers had signed on to the letter, and more have added their names since. This week, the union that represents the federal employees at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also signed on to the letter.
Last week, Sen. Marco Rubio sprinted to the airwaves to defend the Gang of Eight's legislation after it had been attacked during the first round of committee markup, but his description of the bill wasn't exactly accurate. Continuing that trend, A Gang of Eight member who also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Jeff Flake, wasn't exactly accurate himself in his description of the bill's "triggers" when they came under attack from Senators John Cornyn and Jeff Sessions on Thursday.
After two weeks of "markup," Senators have done little more than prove to the public that we critics have been right all along about what this immigration legislation would turn out to be. As amended, this bill virtually assures that Congress will be considering demands for the next amnesty in just a few years.
The Senate Judiciary Committee enters its third day of marking up the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, S.744. The Committee is continuing with Title IV, which includes the guest-worker program. Today's focus is on the W visa program - a new guest-worker program that would bring in up to 200,000 new foreign guest-workers each year. They then move to the E-Verify portion of Title III.
Last week, Gallup asked Americans if they approve of the job that Congress is doing. Not surprisingly, only 16% said they did. Yesterday's vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sen. Jeff Sessions' amendment to reduce the legal immigration levels proposed in the Gang of Eight's bill is a prime example of why that support is so low.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) was joined by five other House Members on Tuesday denouncing the Senate Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, S.744. Rep. King was joined on the steps of the Capitol by Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama, John Fleming of Louisiana, Paul Gosar of Arizona, and Steve Stockman and Louie Gohmert of Texas. The six Congressmen said they were concerned about the huge negative impact an amnesty for 11 million illegal aliens would have on the national debt, and they said they stood by the rule of law.
After dealing with most of Title I ("triggers" and border security) last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee continues its markup of the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, S.744, today. Today's markup will mostly focus on Title IV of the Gang's bill, dealing with the guest-worker provisions. Several of the issues to watch for today include changes to the existing H-1B high-skilled worker visas and worker protections outlined in the Gang's bill.
On the first day of the Senate Judiciary Committee's markup of the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, one thing was crystal clear -- the Democrat-leaning Committee and its two GOP Gang of Eight Members are set on legalizing 11 million illegal aliens before any enforcement takes place. The Committee voted down 5 amendments that would have required measurable enforcement efforts occur before illegal aliens are legalized and given work permits.
The Judiciary Committee markup of S. 744 exposed the Gang of Eight legislation as an amnesty-first bill. Given multiple opportunities to vote on amendments that would require concrete enforcement before illegal aliens could apply for legal status and work permits, the bill's sponsors voted "no". At the same time, they sent their chief spokesman, Sen. Rubio to Fox News to deceive the public.
The Senate Judiciary Committee's markup of the Gang of Eight's comprehensive amnesty bill, S.744. Over the next several weeks, the Committee will consider 300 amendments. Follow this blog for all the details. . .
Angela Kelly of the Center for American Progress (a backer of the Senate "Gang of Eight" amnesty) pulled a fast one on the National Journal this week when she spoke to the media outlet for "Immigration Law May Be Tough on the Poor." The "poor" in the headline refers not to U.S. citizens who are among the working poor or unemployed, but unauthorized aliens who may be unable to support themselves without government benefits even after they receive legal status and work permits under the bill.
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will begin marking up the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill (S.744) on Thursday, have filed 300 amendments that propose changes to the 867-page legislation. The lion's share of amendments were offered by Republicans on the committee; in fact, the committee's Ranking Member, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), offered almost as many amendments (77) as the committee's entire Democratic delegation (93).
A new Rasmussen Reports poll has found that only 30% of American voters believe the federal government will actually secure the border if Congress passes an immigration reform bill. This shows an ever-increasing pessimism from Americans that the government is serious about securing our nation's borders: in March, 38% said the federal government would secure the borders if legislation passes and in January, the figure was 45%. In the same poll, only 7% of voters consider it "very likely" that the border will be secured, while 24% consider it "not at all likely."
Many senators are doing everything possible to pretend there would be no price tag for making some 80 federal welfare programs plus all entitlements available to millions of mostly low-education, low-skill illegal aliens.
The Senators have heard from lots of billionaires and special-interest lobbyists who stand to make money off the cheap-labor aspect of the amnesty.
Now, each Senator needs to hear from thousands of taxpayers who say NO to subsidizing that "cheap" labor with $6.3 trillion of taxpayer funds.
Earlier today, the Heritage Foundation released its analysis on the fiscal costs to U.S. taxpayers should the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill pass in Congress. The study found that an amnesty for the nation's 11 million illegal aliens would cost taxpayers $6.3 trillion over the lifetime of the illegal aliens. The study compared dozens of ways that the government would collect taxes and fees from amnestied illegal aliens against the benefits they would receive from the federal government.
Now that the tech industry has secured provisions in the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill that provides massive increases in both green cards and guest-worker visas for high-skilled workers, their lobbying arm is putting a full-court press on Congress to pass the bill. Most recently, television ads paid for by the tech industry have been launched in states where moderate Democrats and Republicans live to provide cover for a potentially damaging vote in support of the Gang's bill.
Roy and Chris compare green card categories under current immigration law with what it would look like under the Gang of Eight's "comprehensive immigration reform" bill, S.744.
The bill that's in place right now probably can’t pass the House. It will have to be adjusted, because people are very suspicious about the willingness of the government to enforce the laws now.
The Gang of Eight has promoted results from flawed polling showing strong support for its amnesty bill to gain momentum, but even the flawed polling is starting to show a drop in enthusiasm from the American people. Three new polls show a significant drop in support for amnesty since the bombings in Boston and details of the Gang of Eight's border security provisions.
Now that we know that the Gang of Eight's immigration overhaul would issue more than 33 million green cards in the first decade, if passed, the question is: where are all the new green cards coming from? Here's a breakdown of where the other 22 million come from in the first decade.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will mark up S. 744 (aka: "The Gang of Eight" immigration bill) on May 9th despite less than half of American knowing even basic details about the legislation. According to Pew Research, only 37 percent of Americans know that the bill was introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators, and only 47 percent are aware that the legislation would allow illegal aliens to stay in the country and apply for citizenship. The media hasn't had a lot of time to give the American public many details about the bill, so here is a partial list of under-reported details that have been discovered by people sifting through S. 744's 844 pages . . .
