Postcards - and video - from the edge

for the cause dot com
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Why Amnesty?
Amnesty Bill Loopholes
Amnesty Bill's Worst Provisions
Amnesty Bill's Weak Enforcement Measures
Sen. Jeff Sessions Speaks Out Against Amnesty Bill

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TIME:

Senate Cuts Guest Worker Program

The Senate voted to slash the number of foreign workers who could come to the U.S. on temporary visas as part of a broad bipartisan immigration bill. A new guest worker program would be capped at 200,000 a year under the proposal, which passed 74-24 over strong opposition by the Bush administration. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said the change, proposed by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., would interfere with a "central component" of the White House-backed immigration measure. That plan provided for 400,000 worker visas annually, plus an option to increase that number to 600,000 if market conditions demand it. "The Bingaman amendment would eliminate this critical flexibility and cut the size of the temporary worker program in half," Gutierrez said in a statement. His comments came as the administration urged the Senate to approve the immigration legislation despite fresh criticism from presidential hopefuls and lawmakers in both parties.

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Chicago Tribune:

Senate OKs Tweaks to Immigration Bill

The fragile immigration bill weathered a series of legislative hits as senators approved amendments to alter key provisions of the framework for bringing in temporary guest workers and enforcing security along U.S. borders. The Senate overwhelmingly approved an amendment introduced by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) that would reduce the number of guest workers allowed into the U.S. in any year from 400,000 to 200,000, and bar future adjustments in that quota in line with shifting labor demands. The 74-24 approval of the measure, which is similar to a provision attached to last year's Senate bill, followed the Senate's decision to dispense with a proposal from Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) that would have killed the guest worker program. The Senate also approved other amendments, including measures to institute mandatory prison sentences for immigrants who cross the border illegally and raise the bar for security "triggers." As amended, the immigration bill now requires 20,000 instead of 18,000 border patrol agents, 300 rather than 200 miles of virtual fencing along the U.S.-Mexican border and detention facilities for up to 31,500 illegal border crossers, up from 27,500. All of these "triggers" would have to be in place before guest worker visas could be distributed and the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. legalized.

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Forthecause.us:

Rep. Mike Pence Calls for Immigration Reform Without Amnesty

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence is calling for a solution to the nation's immigration crisis that doesn't include amnesty. "Over the past year I have worked with colleagues in the House and the Senate to achieve border security and comprehensive immigration reform without amnesty. Illegal immigration is a crisis and demands a national response but amnesty is not that response," he said on the House floor. "From what we know about the Senate compromise, there are many commendable elements in the plan, including border security measures and a shift to a merit-based immigration system. However, ultimately the grand bargain is no bargain for the American people. By permitting illegal immigrants to get right with the law without leaving the country, the Senate compromise amounts to amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants and I cannot support it. I do hope to continue to work with colleagues in the House and Senate to craft final legislation that puts border security first and creates a temporary worker program, without amnesty, that requires workers to learn English and employers to operate under the law."

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CNN Lou Dobbs - video:

Orange County, California Sheriff Mike Carona Helps Federal Immigration Authorities

In Orange County, California, Sheriff Mike Carona is helping federal immigration authorities detain and deport criminal illegal aliens, but several local police chiefs are refusing to cooperate, saying they don't want to alienate illegal aliens. During the first four months of this year, Orange County Sheriff's Department turned over more than 1,600 criminal illegal aliens to ICE for deportation. Twelve percent of the county's jail inmates are illegal aliens. They cost local taxpayers about $17 million a year. Sheriff Carona said: "These are individuals that shouldn't be back on the streets. Had we not caught them, they would have finished their local jail time, they would have been released and be back on the streets to commit some more crimes."