Search the ArchivesNavigation Contact InformationThe Citizen Newspapers For Advertising Information Email us your news! For technical difficulties |
2 U.S. senators for, 2 Ga. legislators against immigration compromiseThu, 05/17/2007 - 1:57pm
By: Cal Beverly
[Editor’s note: Georgia’s senior and junior U.S. senators Thursday cautiously supported the proposed immigration reform bill before Congress. Their statements are below.] Chambliss says immigration deal positive step but final bill must contain key provisions WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., made the following statement regarding the bipartisan immigration deal announced [May 17]. Both Chambliss and his Georgia colleague, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., have been part of a group of senators meeting regularly to negotiate the agreement along with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. “The bipartisan immigration deal announced today is a step in the right direction toward reaching a final, comprehensive immigration bill. However, certain criteria must be met in order for this legislation to receive my final support. My top priority in this debate is border security, because if we do not secure the border then we will fail to address a serious national security issue and we will fail to prevent future illegal immigration. The bill must not include a new pathway to citizenship for people who have come here illegally; rather, those who have come here illegally must go home and get in the back of the line if they want to apply for a green card. “Finally, any temporary worker program must be just that – temporary - and American workers and American wages must not be harmed by a temporary worker program. Employers must be provided with a fool-proof verification system to ensure that prospective employees are legal, and once a system is created, employers who refuse to verify the status of their employees or who knowingly hire illegal workers should be severely punished. “The agreement reached today is an improvement from last year’s bill. The way you make good laws is to have people from both sides of the aisle come together, and this was a highly committed group that came together to work on these issues that aren’t in the best interest of any particular political party, but rather in the best interest of the American people.” ----------- Isakson optimistic over bipartisan effort to reach compromise on immigration; says final bill must secure borders first, prohibit new pathway to citizenship WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today expressed optimism over a bipartisan effort to reach a compromise on immigration legislation and again reiterated that any immigration reform bill must achieve two key principles at minimum: Require that the first step of comprehensive reform be to secure the U.S. borders and offer no new special pathway to citizenship for individuals who are in the United States illegally. “The pressure is now on us. We have got to fix our broken borders. If Congress doesn’t appropriate the funds and the Secretary of Homeland Security doesn’t install the barriers, hire the agents, get the unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky or create a verifiable biometric identification card, there is no bill. This is a two-step process and the first step is to stop the problem,” Isakson said. “I am optimistic we will reach an agreement that can be the foundation for meaningful reform, security of our borders and respect for our immigration process.” Comprehensive immigration legislation is in the final stages of being drafted and is expected to come to the Senate floor for debate next week. Isakson said he will reserve judgment on supporting the final bill until the debate is complete, but he said that at a minimum the bill must include his border security “trigger” prohibiting implementation of a temporary, probationary work permit program until the Department of Homeland Security certifies to the President and to the Congress that the border security provisions in the immigration legislation are fully funded and operational. Isakson also said the bill must prohibit any new pathway to U.S. citizenship and must require illegal immigrants to return home and get at the back of the line to apply for citizenship just as everyone must do now. During negotiations in crafting the legislation, Isakson has pushed his border security trigger that includes five specific provisions that must be in place before a guest worker program can begin: • Manpower – authorizing a total of 18,000 full-time Border Patrol Agents. • Detention beds – authorizing detention facilities with a total of 27,500 detention beds to end the practice of “catch and release.” • Barriers – authorize additional barriers such as fences, roads or underground sensors along the entire U.S.-Mexico border. • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles — authorize funds to acquire and maintain a squadron of at least four unmanned aerial vehicles with high-tech sensors and satellite communication to allow coverage on the border by an unmanned vehicle 24 hours a day. • Biometrically secure ID – establish a biometric secure identification card program so employers can instantly verify an immigrants’ status. In May 2006, during debate in the Senate on immigration reform, Isakson introduced a similar trigger amendment that would have prohibited the implementation of any program granting legal status to those who have entered the country illegally until the Secretary of Homeland Security had certified to the President and to the Congress that the border security provisions in the immigration legislation were funded and operational. The Senate defeated the amendment on May 16, 2006, by a vote of 40 yeas to 55 nays, but Isakson has gained even more support for his border security trigger in the year since. [Posted Thursday, May 17, 2007 — 5:02 p.m.] ---------------- [Editor’s note: The following is a news release from two state legislators reacting to reports that Congress has reached agreement on immigration reform.] The current debate in Washington D.C. over so-called “Immigration Reform” highlights the failure of our federal government. Instead of enforcing the current laws passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1996, the current Congress seems determined to vote on new laws they haven’t even taken the time to read. It is government at its worst. As Georgia legislators, we must deal with the failure of the federal government to secure our borders and enforce our current laws. It is incomprehensible that Congress would propose another amnesty plan after the dismal failure of the 1986 amnesty that has led us to this point. We strongly urge the U.S. Congress to heed the findings and recommendations of the Jordan Commission on Immigration Reform of 1995. Congresswoman Jordan, a civil rights pioneer and Congressional Medal of Freedom winner, led a multi-year Blue Ribbon Commission to determine the problems and potential remedies of our illegal immigration crises. If Congress wants to find an answer, they should follow the lead of Congresswoman Jordan. We further call on Congress to fulfill the most basic responsibility of creating law – debate and discussion. Recent reports suggest the “compromise” bill will go directly to the Senate floor. It is estimated to be hundreds of pages in length. This suggests that our senators will most likely vote on a bill they have never read, and a measure that has never been fully vetted in committee hearings. The Senate has not even taken the time to determine the costs of such a “comprehensive” plan. According to expert testimony from a preliminary study to be given today to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee by Robert Rector of the highly respected Heritage Foundation, the cost of amnesty and earned citizenship for just 7.9 million amnesty recipients would be $2.4 trillion, a cost that must be born by the American taxpayer. It is unconscionable that any legislator could vote for a measure of this magnitude without knowing and debating all the costs involved. We denounce any effort to create a so-called “Z-Visa” and touchback provision, which grants amnesty to those who have violated the laws of the United States. Such a plan gives preference to those who have violated the law over those who have followed the law and patiently await legal entrance into the United States. We reject any idea, specifically those included in HR 1645 and S. 1348, that would effectively abolish the borders of the United States by eliminating the necessity to have a visa to travel anywhere on the North American continent. We understand that the amnesty of 1986 proved beyond all doubt that the only real solution to solving the illegal immigration and illegal employment crisis in our nation is to secure American borders and hold employers accountable for violation of the law. We do not so cavalierly dismiss an employer’s violation of tax or pollution laws, yet somehow we are led to believe we should accept that a violation of immigration law should go unpunished. Sadly, we have little faith in the current administration’s dedication to certify border security or operational control. Almost one-year has passed since President Bush signed a border security bill calling for the creation of an almost 700-mile physical barrier. To date only two miles have been completed. It is our belief that no responsible elected official would even consider the fraud that is being offered as “comprehensive reform” in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) Rep. John Lunsford (R-McDonough) # # # # Sen. Chip Rogers serves as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He represents the 21st Senate District which includes portions of Cherokee and Cobb counties. He can be reached at his office at 404.463.1378 or by email at chip.rogers@senate.ga.gov. [The above news release was posted May 17, 2007 at 2:57 p.m.] login to post comments
|
Copyright 2010 - Fayette Publishing, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Policy
Server 4
