GOP challenges Bush on immigration reform
latimes
House Republicans, in opposition to Senate bill, also detail ways they think U.S. has failed on border and law enforcement. With no chance of passage, the measure underlines the party’s split.
WASHINGTON
In a sharp rebuke to President Bush, House Republicans unveiled legislation Tuesday that would bar illegal immigrants from gaining legal status in the U.S., require tamper-proof birth certificates for Americans and make English the nation’s official language.
The measure’s core principles include gaining control of the border and enforcing existing immigration laws. It does not provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, as the Bush plan does.
The House bill stands virtually no chance of becoming law, or even advancing, in the Democratic-controlled Congress. Still, it casts in bold relief the split between Bush and many fellow Republicans in the immigration debate.
The bill surfaced one day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), working with the White House, resurrected efforts to pass the broader legislation Bush wants.
The authors of the House bill also are pushing for a congressional resolution detailing ways in which they think the federal government has failed to enforce immigration law and has made it easier for illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S.
“The current illegal immigration crisis is a direct result of this and previous administrations failing to enforce or adequately enforce at least eight immigration laws,” the resolution said.
The bill’s authors, Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), said it was meant to challenge the immigration bill the Senate planned to return to this week.
That measure, King said, goes “against the wishes of the American people.”
In another sign of GOP restiveness over immigration, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) introduced a resolution Tuesday calling on Bush to enforce existing immigration laws in order to halt “the lawlessness at our borders.”
Sessions has been a vocal critic of the Bush approach to revamping immigration laws. The president, however, travels to Alabama this week to headline a fundraiser for the senator.
White House spokesman Scott Stanzel rejected the criticism that the administration has been lax in border enforcement. As one example, he cited a sharp rise in funding under Bush for stricter border control.
In 2001, enforcement funding totaled $4.6 billion; that has increased significantly. In his latest budget request, Bush is seeking $11.8 billion.
Stanzel also noted that the Senate bill included border security goals that would have to be achieved before other aspects of the overhaul could proceed.
Reid wants the Senate to decide the fate of the immigration bill one way or the other before Congress breaks for its July 4 recess. But even if the measure passes the chamber, it faces an uncertain fate in the House.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) has told administration officials that she will not take up the bill unless about 70 Republicans are brought on board to help pass it.
The bill unveiled Tuesday is the equivalent of a warning flag that conservatives intend to fight for those Republican votes.
“It seems a formal way of putting proponents on notice that there will be resistance from those quarters in the House,” said Roberto Suro, director of the nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center.
He added that the number of cosponsors the bill attracted could act as “an indication of how many votes there are to oppose something that resembles the Senate bill or … includes the legalization program.”
The measure would require that 18,000 border patrol agents be deployed by Dec. 31, 2008. Currently, the force totals about 12,000.
It would also require the full implementation of US-VISIT, a program that is meant to track entries and exits at all ports of entry but that has fallen short of that goal.
U.S. citizens would be affected by many of the changes proposed for work site enforcement, including mandatory checks of all employees’ eligibility and a nationwide electronic system for tracking birth and death records.
Smith, one of the bill’s authors, said it would allow for greater information-sharing among the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and the Department of the Treasury to identify illegal immigrants.
Wild Thing’s comment………
White House spokesman Scott Stanzel rejected the criticism that the administration has been lax in border enforcement. As one example, he cited a sharp rise in funding under Bush for stricter border control.
Hey, Scotty-boy, you’re really gonna have to do better than that. We’re onto your pathetic Clintonistic snow jobs regarding your “efforts”.
When a sitting President will not listen to the voice of the people, and continually goes out and pushes a proposal that would reward criminal behavior, flood our social services, and create a voting block dedicated to reacquiring large areas of our country, that is not securing our borders and enforcing our current laws the security……….then why are we sending our troops into danger to fight the enemy on foreign lands when the President demands to let them in unfettered through our open borders.
Every politician needs to remember the preamble to the Constitution starts We the People Not We the elected few. Don’t insult us with your pathetic justifications of absolute and willing failure. You’re out of your league when it comes to explaining your slick little shenanigans to the conservative blogosphere.
WT – I was with the Bushies since 1999 in ‘Operation Take Back The Oval Office.’ Slick Willie could BS so well he could sell send to a Sheik! And this #43 administration… what ever is LEFT of it… makes me sick to my stomach. They can’t even admit the US borders are borderless! And now they’re trying to sell their BS to their former base? – The Alamo’s 189 Texicans died in vain in 1836!
This one isn’t going to work either.
My ideas–
electrify the fence like a bug zapper.
Take over Mexico and make it part of the US.
(if they want to be here so badly, we’ll just
make ’em part of us whether they like it or not!)
GOP challenges Bush on immigration reform
If they make English the official language are then going to take down the Spanish signs all over Lowe’s and remove Spanish from stores debit pads? Shoot, I went to Auto Zone and bought one headlight bulb. The receipt was over 12 inches long as half of it was in Spanish.
I think Bush’s second attempt is going down in flames also. I cannot see it getting through the House unless some Republicans can be bought. But they know they will be voted out in ’08.
I wish we could ote Bush out right now. I hope he is shamed on this immigration deal.
The scary thing is the the GOP can be bought, they prove it every day when they join hands with amnesty supporters across the aisle. It’s up the us to keep the pressure on. Recall works, Gray Davis found that out, maybe a recall of those who failed their sworn oath is in order. Both parties are guilty. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to vote for a commoner, not a mayor, not a governor, not a lawyer, just a civilian as it was intended.
To be perfectly honest I don’t trust the House either. A Conservative, forget his name, introduced an amendment to lengthen the fence and it got voted down. It seems 400 miles of fence is about all the House will go for.
As Jack says all these guys can be bought and paid for by special interest groups, this is direction we have gone in the past 150 years. Corruption has more of a say than the people who put them there. There are no term limits and they know it.
Washington DC, is like a big cesspool, it’s only when the really big chunks of scum, rise to the top that they get noticed, when the stink gets to bad and finally, they get scooped out, like William Jefferson (D) Louisiana, does anything really happen.
They have gotten to the point of thinking they are immune to investigation and prosecution, but pass laws that they would not obey and most of the time don’t have anyway because they leave them selves an automatic out.
Senior Jorge ought to remember what happened when another George, who was in charge of England and he pissed off the colonies. This immigration bill is approaching that kind of anger.
He and daddy ought to find out where Geronomo’s bones are and return them to their rightful owners and forget about the open borders. Because they are in over their Elitists heads.
Darth me too, it makes my stomach ill.
Lynn, I agree I don’t think this will work either.
The obvious is starring them all in the face. The law is already there and why oh why do they keep ignoring it as though it does not exist. amazing!!
Bob oh my gosh, if I had the nerve I would love to say at a store if I saw that on the receipt……hmmmm I guess they are too dumb to learn English.
Tom I would vote him out right now if I could, yes I would. I am not only ticked at what they want to do, but also ticked at how they have referred to us that simply want laws obeyed and a fence built, how hard is that to understand by them. sheesh
Jack your right, I keep sending emails and making calls. I rememebr the Gray Davis thign very well, thanks for saying that because that is just what happened. People had enough and he felt it big time. tah dah!!
Mark good example and it is, your right, it sure is approaching that kind of anger.