I dont understand this...

What are the republicans trying to accomplish by not granting us amnesty or earned citizenship? They know that they cant realistically deport 20 million people, yet they are behaving like CHILDREN. They know they have to do something, so they ruin it for the rest of us by comping up with plans that would cost over $10,000 to legalize or wait 13 years. This is ridicoulas. I heard that they are worried about re-lection, but the majority of americans(78%) supports givsing us a chance at citizenship. So can someone please tell me what is going on??

I am in the same boat as you are about figuring out what is going on in their worlds right now. But as you can see, they will begin debating next Monday and we will have a clearer idea about where this is all going.

Two words:
big business

I know their plan. They will try their hardest to control the borders and keep deporting ppl, while keeping the liberals from passing a bill in the congress. They just need to hold on like this for another 5 decades. Most of the 12 million would either be dead, retired and left the country by then.

5 decades?? If the bill dont pass soon, I believe illegals will start a war~

i think so too.

Well if they don't pass anything, they are looking at many many more protests and immigration being one of the top issues for a while. Some of them want exactly that. Take Tancredo, an extreme example, but it doesn't have to be. As long as illegal immigration is a top issue those like him have a platform to run on, once that falls to the background, their career will be either over or on a decline.

On the other hand, if they decide to pass several small measures, prohibitive or not , they are facing even more protests, because people will either feel left out or prosecuted. In addition, if they choose to pass prohibitive measures, they will corner themselves into feeble attempts at mass deportation and the inevitable labor shortage. Non of the legislators are stupid, even if some choose to appear so; they all realize the importance of cheap labor in this country. I think it boils down to conservatives and liberals having different ideas on how to preserve this bottomless pool of cheap labor. Conservatives want to keep immigrants down and underneath the fabrics of society, while liberals want equal rights and opportunities for everyone. Keeping these goals in mind, perhaps neither extreme is a solution, the solution has to be somewhere in between.

As yet another possibility they might pass a comprehensive measure. This is no doubt the riskiest step, for the same reason as it is the most effective one. Its a step that will bring the most profound and immediate results, positive or not. We have to keep in mind that their ultimate goal is to ensure the economic and social balance. In fact, it could be the case that economically the balance is perfect, cheap labor, a few are complaining, those who are underpriviledged for the most part choose to keep low and quiet. Maybe the only reason why immigration is a hot topic is the lack of social balance, however we choose to define that.

So war, in any sense of the word; I don't think so. It is a struggle to find that balance and it is going to last for a very long time, whether people want it or not.