The Great Immigration Ruse

[WifeOHunkyJohn 2]

The Great Immigration Ruse

May 22, 2007

By Jeff Emanuel

America's representative government is predicated on open and honest dealings, with public debate and freely flowing information keeping lawmakers accountable to their informed and educated constituents. Unfortunately, the much-discussed "comprehensive immigration reform" legislation, set to come before the Senate for debate, is an example of what is currently wrong with the Washington establishment, rather than what is right, and is demonstrative both of our government's penchant for secrecy and of its terribly misguided legislative priorities.

First, some background. Early last week, the conservative weblog RedState.com broke the news that key Senators from both parties were cloistered in a dark back room, conspiring with the White House to draw up a hastily-agreed-to "comprehensive immigration reform" bill which would be sprung both on the Senate as a whole, and on the American populace, with little or no warning or time for debate before it cloture was sought early this week.

Less than 24 hours later, key provisions of the forthcoming Senate bill leaked to the public, including the so-called "amnesty" portion which, through the issuance of Z visas, would allow

"aliens, along with their dependents, ...to legally remain in the United States under certain conditions for an indefinite period of time, even if they chose not to pursue the so called ‘pathway to citizenship'."

Late Thursday afternoon, the bill was reportedly released to the Senate, and politicians, pundits, and candidates came out of the woodwork to issue statements about its contents, including former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson who, in a post on Red State, called on leaders in Washington to

"scrap...the whole debate until we can convince the American people that we have secured the borders or at least have made great headway."

The media - print, online, and television - were swarming throughout the weekend with commentary on the suddenly released immigration legislation, including speculation on what exactly it contained, and how long officials had been working toward the compromise which it apparently represented. However, amidst the debate and the rush to support or condemn specific provisions of the bill (or the bill as a whole), one aspect of this issue was entirely overlooked: at the time, there was still no actual immigration bill.

Multiple Senate sources confirmed that, despite statements from those involved in crafting the legislation, "no bill presently [existed]" at the time because "the lawyers [were] still behind closed doors putting it together." Senate sources also confirmed that "the bill probably will not be online [and available to the public] in its final form until after the Senate has voted on it." Furthermore, even Senators involved in the process itself offered contradictory reports on its contents. For example, at the same time on Thursday night that John Kyl (R-AZ) was on one news channel praising the bill's elimination of chain migration - a key provision he himself had championed - Reid was telling another network that that provision would not be in the bill's final draft.

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), speaking Saturday morning at his home state's Republican Party Convention, confirmed that as of that time he still had not received a copy of the completed immigration bill. This fact, though, did not keep him from praising the forthcoming legislation - an act which attracted a chorus of boos from representatives of his own party.

This brings us to the current situation. The proposal was finally completed and distributed on Saturday, giving legislators themselves just over one day to read and analyze the 326-page bill before it comes to the floor for debate today. Though the Senate apparently had no plans to make the bill public before cloture was achieved and the legislation voted on, the conservative Heritage Foundation thwarted that plan, and did the public a great service by acquiring a copy of the proposed legislation and immediately posting a draft of it online (.pdf file here).

Beyond the secrecy of its authoring - and its belated release - a source of further disquiet is the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee is apparently being completely bypassed in this process, with the bill set to come to a final vote without ever having gone through the process of committee review, hearings, testimony, or fiscal analysis. Even more distressing is the story of negotiations on this bill, which included a profanity-laced blowup by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), directed toward Senate colleague John Cornyn (R-TX). This apparently came about when, as the time approached for the prescheduled triumphant joint press conference announcing the bill - which was arguably the only reason that McCain made this session of negotiations at all, (having missed the previous two months of Senate business due to his Presidential campaign) - Sen. Cornyn remained unwilling drop his request for inclusion in the bill of a provision streamlining deportation procedures, instead choosing to champion principle over concession and easy compromise. For his trouble, after working with those involved "in good faith" for three months, Cornyn was ordered by McCain to leave the negotiating room - and his provision was not included in the draft legislation.

Proceeding in such a hasty, guarded, and furiously impatient fashion at the very least reflects poorly on the intentions of those crafting it in such secrecy, as well as on the legislation itself, and such backroom dealings speak volumes more about the "open, ethical nature" of this Congress than has already been demonstrated to this point. Unfortunately, prominent members of both parties have all-too-willingly gone along with this process - as has the administration itself, which has long sought such "comprehensive" reform, as opposed to the border security- and- enforcement-first approach many concerned members of Congress and of the citizenry have favored.

While Congress creates an unworkable immigration bill, over one hundred days have now gone by with no supplemental funding for America's troops who are currently in harm's way and in growing need of supplies. Approving the funding which would provide much-needed materiel to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who are putting their lives on the line twenty-four hours a day, on orders from their government, is a far more immediate issue than "comprehensive immigration reform," and as such it should take priority. The fact that it does not speaks volumes about how seriously the key members of the "World's Greatest Deliberative Body" actually take the war in which our military is currently engaged.

The provisions of this immigration agreement aside, the fact that so many statements were made when such an important piece of legislation had not even been written yet - as well as the fact that, even when completed, the bill was poised to be rushed through the Senate and only made available to the public after its passage - should sound alarm bells in the head of every citizen and lawmaker who prefers honest, open government to backroom dealings and votes on bills which have not even been read before they hit the floor for debate. This is a prime example of the latter, and the state of affairs it represents is, unfortunately, becoming a hallmark of the 110^th Congress.

Is the secrecy in which the immigration bill has been cloaked - and in which it would continue to be, were it not for the Heritage Foundation's efforts - a necessary component of this legislation? How can a government which purports to be a representative of its citizens operate in such secrecy when landmark issues like the security of our borders, and the status and future of twelve million of our residents, are the subject of debate?

Unfortunately, the fact that the administration, along with a number of Senate Republicans, is so deeply complicit in this affair paints a very distressing picture of where key priorities really lie. Regrettably, these priorities apparently do not include taking any steps beyond making political statements - in the form of bills containing certain dates for withdrawal from Iraq, which have arguably been designed to be vetoed - toward supplying the young men and women who are risking their lives day in and day out in the War on Terror. Likewise, these priorities are neither in tune with the American populace, nor with the spirit of our Republic, which demands open, honest, and accountable government - regardless of the subject of the legislation in question - in order to function as it should.

Regardless of whether or not this legislation is a significant move forward in the quest for "comprehensive immigration reform," the manner in which it has been crafted, the tremendous effort which has been made to keep it from the public, and the sense of priority demonstrated by the rush to write and to pass it when we have troops in harm's way who will soon suffer very real consequences from a lack of supplemental funding shows very clearly what is wrong with our government.

Those who are supposed to be representing the nation's interests in Washington should take note that this type of secrecy and backroom dealing will not be tolerated by the American people. If they do not get the message, then they have no business making the country's decisions in the first place.

Jeff Emanuel is a Leadership Fellow with the University of Georgia's Center for International Trade and Security.

[peejay 327]

If you don't remember anything else about this bill (S.1348) take note of the fact that it is Teddy Kennedy's immigration bill.

In passing the 1986 illegal alien amnesty bill Senator Kennedy said, ‘This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this.’

Teddy gave us twice that number in 1986 and much, much more after:

Congress has passed 7 amnesties for illegal aliens, starting in 1986.

1. Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) Amnesty, 1986: A blanket amnesty for some 2.7 million illegal aliens

2. Section 245(i) Amnesty, 1994: A temporary rolling amnesty for 578,000 illegal aliens

3. Section 245(i) Extension Amnesty, 1997: An extension of the rolling amnesty created in 1994

4. Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) Amnesty, 1997: An amnesty for close to one million illegal aliens from Central America

5. Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act Amnesty (HRIFA), 1998: An amnesty for 125,000 illegal aliens from Haiti

6. Late Amnesty, 2000: An amnesty for some illegal aliens who claim they should have been amnestied under the 1986 IRCA amnesty, an estimated 400,000 illegal aliens

7. LIFE Act Amnesty, 2000: A reinstatement of the rolling Section 245(i) amnesty, an estimated 900,000 illegal aliens

8. Teddy's S.1348 vying to be Amnesty No. 8

Why is this moron still in charge of immigration reform? It's more than obvious that he is an incompetent and should not be trusted. Need anyone say more?

[WifeOHunkyJohn 2]

page 268...

10 (1) IN GENERAL- An alien who files an application for Z

11 nonimmigrant status shall, upon submission of any

12 evidence required under paragraphs (F ) and (g) and after

13 the Secretary has conducted appropriate background

14 checks, to include name and fingerprint checks, that have

15 not by the end of the next business day produced

16 information rendering the applicant ineligible -

17

18 (A) be granted probationary benefits in the form of

19 employment authorization pending final adjudication

20 of the alien's application;

21

22 (B ) may in the Secretary's discretion receive

23 advance permission to re-enter the United States

24 pursuant to existing regulations governing advance

25 parole;

26

27 (c ) may not be detained for immigration purposes,

28 determined inadmissible or deportable, or removed

29 pending final adjudication of the alien's application,

30 unless the alien is determined to be ineligible for Z

31 nonimmigrant status; and

32

33 (D) may not be considered an unauthorized alien (as

34 defined in section 274A(h)(3) of the Immigration and

35 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(h)(3))) unless

36 employment authorization under subparagraph (A) is

37 denied.

Bearing in mind I am not a lawyer or an immigration expert, am I right in reading that an illegal immigrant who applies for this Z visa, not only gets their FBI Fingerprint and background check completed in 24 hours or less, but is also automatically granted EAD and AP 24 hours after their application is accepted???

Edited May 22, 2007 by WifeOHunkyJohn

[peejay 327]

page 268...

10 (1) IN GENERAL- An alien who files an application for Z

11 nonimmigrant status shall, upon submission of any

12 evidence required under paragraphs (F ) and (g) and after

13 the Secretary has conducted appropriate background

14 checks, to include name and fingerprint checks, that have

15 not by the end of the next business day produced

16 information rendering the applicant ineligible -

17

18 (A) be granted probationary benefits in the form of

19 employment authorization pending final adjudication

20 of the alien's application;

21

22 (B ) may in the Secretary's discretion receive

23 advance permission to re-enter the United States

24 pursuant to existing regulations governing advance

25 parole;

26

27 (c ) may not be detained for immigration purposes,

28 determined inadmissible or deportable, or removed

29 pending final adjudication of the alien's application,

30 unless the alien is determined to be ineligible for Z

31 nonimmigrant status; and

32

33 (D) may not be considered an unauthorized alien (as

34 defined in section 274A(h)(3) of the Immigration and

35 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(h)(3))) unless

36 employment authorization under subparagraph (A) is

37 denied.

Bearing in mind I am not a lawyer or an immigration expert, am I right in reading that an illegal immigrant who applies for this Z visa, not only gets their FBI Fingerprint and background check completed in 24 hours or less, but is also automatically granted EAD and AP 24 hours after their application is accepted???

I have heard this same fact discussed numerous times in print and on TV. It appears to be true (along with other highly objectionable points).

This bill is all about granting as much amnesty and permanent residency to as many illegal aliens as possible. There is NO cap or quota on the number of illegal aliens this bill can amnesty. It is an open ended blanket amnesty to include each and every illegal alien up to January 2007. You say 11 million? It could be 30 million. THIS IS INSANE!!!!

Anybody that believes this is justice, the end of illegal immigration, or in the best interests of the American people is a gullible fool. There can be no compromise with lunatics of the ilk of Teddy Kennedy. Teddy is off the Richter Scale of sheer lunacy.

It is all about mass blanket amnesty FIRST and promises of law enforcement LATER with NO guarantees they will ever happen or continue to happen. We already have existing laws that are not enforced. Are the American people stupid enough to trust Teddy again and again and again? I'm not. You shouldn't either if you care about this country.

It's not about illegal aliens...it's about America. And this bill is not about America.

Edited May 22, 2007 by peejay

[Saddle Bronc 124]

If you don't remember anything else about this bill (S.1348) take note of the fact that it is Teddy Kennedy's immigration bill.

In passing the 1986 illegal alien amnesty bill Senator Kennedy said, ‘This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this.’

Teddy gave us twice that number in 1986 and much, much more after:

Congress has passed 7 amnesties for illegal aliens, starting in 1986.

1. Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) Amnesty, 1986: A blanket amnesty for some 2.7 million illegal aliens

2. Section 245(i) Amnesty, 1994: A temporary rolling amnesty for 578,000 illegal aliens

3. Section 245(i) Extension Amnesty, 1997: An extension of the rolling amnesty created in 1994

4. Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) Amnesty, 1997: An amnesty for close to one million illegal aliens from Central America

5. Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act Amnesty (HRIFA), 1998: An amnesty for 125,000 illegal aliens from Haiti

6. Late Amnesty, 2000: An amnesty for some illegal aliens who claim they should have been amnestied under the 1986 IRCA amnesty, an estimated 400,000 illegal aliens

7. LIFE Act Amnesty, 2000: A reinstatement of the rolling Section 245(i) amnesty, an estimated 900,000 illegal aliens

8. Teddy's S.1348 vying to be Amnesty No. 8

Why is this moron still in charge of immigration reform? It's more than obvious that he is an incompetent and should not be trusted. Need anyone say more?

The last person who thought she COULD trust E.M. Kennedy was Mary-jo Kopechne--whom he effectively murdered (Chappaquiddick)