DREAM Act Portal Forum - [IMMIGRATION] Immigration Reform: A Sudden Show of Solidarit

Title: Immigration Reform: A Sudden Show of Solidarity in the Senate
Author: Jennifer & Peter Wipf
Publisher: The New York Times Company
Date Published: March 21, 2006

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Immigration Reform: A Sudden Show of Solidarity in the Senate
by Jennifer & Peter Wipf

Senate Judiciary Makes a Hollywood-Style Turn Around

Just when it looked like the Senate Judiciary Committee would let the axe fall on 12 million illegal immigrants who would be forced to leave the country despite working and otherwise being productive members of society, there came a turn of events--a sudden bipartisan consensus--that even Hollywood would be proud of.

For weeks committee members struggled over their attempts to revamp the country's immigration laws. For weeks, all they could agree on were some strategies to tighten the borders. But with a deadline looming, other issues were completely unresolved.

In a startling move, committee chairman Senator Arlen Specter embraced the premise of an earlier bill sponsored by Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy: that illegal immigrants who met a specific criteria, paid fines and back taxes, should have the opportunity to become green card holders and eventually citizens.
Specter did stress that the country's backlog of three million visa applications had to be brought up to date before illegals could have their chance at legally remaining in the U.S.

The panel came close to a decision that would allow foreign guest workers to enter legally as well. Specter requested that a more detailed bill by finalized by the time Congress reconvened on March 27. This deadline had been set by Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, who will soon present his own border control bill as an alternative to the committee's.

The majority of the House is against the Judiciary Committee's stand, completely rejecting legalization of any illegal immigrants. Some 71 House members added their signatures to a letter claiming that that the committee's decisions were "fundamentally incompatible" with what the House members had in mind for immigration reform.

Mr. Specter often wilts under party pressure like lettuce in a broiler, but he has shown admirable resilience in working to get a comprehensive immigration bill to the Senate floor. His committee's emergent consensus, fragile but real, has finally pointed to a way out of what has been a bitter struggle between starkly conflicting visions of what America should do about immigration. For too long the debate has been hijacked by stereotypes. The recent waves of newcomers are not all potential terrorists living among us like pod people. Nor is every last one a model-citizen-in-waiting.

For years now, President Bush has argued that there are ways to instill law and order to a certain unauthorized population that is otherwise worthy of living in this country.

Those against green cards for illegals argue that a move to legalize unauthorized aliens will send a clear message that crime pays; that it is well worth the risk of trying to get over the border and waiting it out in the shadows until the government makes you legal.

Immigration advocates insist that allowing an undercover population to exist beneath government radar is worse for the country and dangerous for the immigrants themselves, due to healthcare and medical concerns, their risk of being exploited, insurance and driver's licenses, education and other major life issues.

Submitted by juang. Thanks.

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