Illegal Immigration

Illegal Immigration Watch: Chances DIM for Senate Immigration Bill

May 19, 2007 /

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A vehicle drives along the US-Mexico border fence (L) as activists opposing illegal immigration fly US flags on a hilltop from which they search for illegal border crossers, October 2006 near Campo, California. Senators and the White House clinched a deal Thursday on bringing 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows and securing US borders.

Washington Times: Illegals deal alienates everyone

In forging an immigration deal this week, President Bush turned away from Republican allies in favor of striking a deal with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, banking on the senior legislator to deliver enough Democrats to pass a bill.

But the strategy may come back to haunt him, as many Democrats said they can’t accept the agreement and Republicans lined up to criticize both the deal and Mr. Bush, their party’s leader.

And it may only get worse for Mr. Bush, as political forces drive the issue: Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor running for the Republican presidential nomination, injected the issue straight into 2008 presidential politics, announcing he was running television commercials calling for better enforcement as the solution to illegal immigration.

“The president’s willingness to accept the granting of amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants has sent a harmful message to Republican voters around the country,” said Rep. Mike Pence, Indiana Republican. “But I also believe that’ll sort itself out in the primaries of 2008. At the end of the day, this is an issue where I find myself focusing less on politics than what policy I think is in the best interests of the American people.”

Human Events has a good summary of the Senate Bill’s provisions here.

Flap’s political assessment of the Senate’s proposal is:

1. Chances of the bill passing the Senate is 50-50 as of Saturday.

2. Should the bill pass the Senate, the GOP House would NOT provide the 70 GOP Rep. votes demanded by Speaker Pelosi to provide political cover for her own Democrat members.

3. Except for McCain, NO GOP candidate for President will endorse this compromise proposal.

4. McCain’s presidential ambitions will now be on “DEATH WATCH.”

5. Is this proposal better than the status quo? You bet.

6. Illegal immigration will be an issue in the Presidential 2008 race with an advantage to the GOP.

7. Any immigration reform legislation will be:

  • Decided by the new Congress and President after the Presidential election of 2008
  • Be incremental and NOT comprehensive in nature
  • Focus on “BORDER SECURITY”

Stay tuned…….

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Day laborer Juan Carlos Vazquez expresses his reaction to the immigration reform proposal Friday, May 18, 2007, outside a Home Depot in Los Angeles. Illegal immigrants and advocacy groups sharply criticized the Senate’s immigration reform proposal, saying the provisions are overly harsh and will drive many people deeper into the shadows.

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Illegal Immigration Watch: No Illegal Alien Amnesty?

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