Sen. Salazar: Immigration bill not dead yet
posted at 11:15 am on June 9, 2007 by Bryan
An immigration reform measure that appeared to die in the Senate on Thursday could return next month, Sen. Ken Salazar, one of the measure’s chief architects, said today.
At a press conference at his Denver office, the Colorado Democrat said Senators would turn their attention to the energy bill next week, but that he is hopeful they will return to immigration reform in July.
Here’s what needs to happen. Sens. Sessions, DeMint and Cornyn need to lead an effort over the next few weeks to introduce a series of specific bills. One would outlaw “sanctuary cities” and either impose a loss of federal funding, fines or jail time for municipal or county officials who knowingly flout federal immigration law. The second bill would mandate the deportation of criminal illegal aliens to their countries of origin. The third bill would mandate the construction of a fence along the border.
Let’s get the Senate on the record on each of these issues, separate from each other and from the Frankenstein monster that collapsed on Thursday. Let’s get the Senate on the record on whether a majority supports basic law and order or not. And if the bills pass, let’s get the House and president on the record too.
If nothing else, these moves might finally kill off that awful Bush-Kennedy-McCain bill. Maybe.
Blowback
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In their arrogance, they are playing with fire. This can’t be repeated enough:
TheBigOldDog on June 9, 2007 at 11:20 AM
Absolutely! Will they? I hope they beat the Dems and Pres Bush (what a CABAL!) to SOME kind of proposals. I dont have a lot of faith that is going to happen tho.
labwrs on June 9, 2007 at 11:27 AM
Salazar and his ilk are the reason we must remain keenly vigilant and active to ensure this insideous amnesthy sham doesn’t again fly in under the radar.
rplat on June 9, 2007 at 11:28 AM
“The third bill would mandate the construction of a fence along the border …”
The fourth bill would require businesses to verify their workers are legal employees, the fifth bill would deny entitlement benefits to illegals, the sixth bill would require anyone seeking citizenship to get to the back of the line and meet all requirements, including speaking english. The seventh bill would make english the official language of the U.S..
Do all that and the problem takes care of itself.
We can’t absorb 12 to 20 million people and put them instantly on the public dole, especially people who are here specially because of the welfare state. It will break the backs of the middle class.
darwin on June 9, 2007 at 11:30 AM
Oh fer the love of gawd! It’s become painfully obvious that any immigration bill introduction, and even passage of, means nothing without enforcement. This posturing is just beyond lame, and the voting majority are sick and tired of it.
Lock and load folks, we are on our own.
Tru2my2 on June 9, 2007 at 11:42 AM
The bill is like the bad guy in a slasher film: been hit over the head and lying on the floor — everyone assuming he’s dead, but not bothering to make sure. Next thing you know he is standing behind you with a really big knife!!!
db on June 9, 2007 at 11:43 AM
Great idea for the consecutive bills, Bryan and darwin.
Get those guys on the record for their votes.
INC on June 9, 2007 at 12:03 PM
The Republican party has fallen under the influence of some sort of Serpent and the Rainbow voodoo potion produced from the venom of a puffer fish (that being Ted Kennedy – maybe he’s not a fish, but he is a bloated submersible.)
Coyote D. on June 9, 2007 at 12:11 PM
This guy has a lot of nerve to suggest that the congress is near to abdicating because they didn’t get this bill done in two weeks.
I’d like to know what he calls the last 20 years of letting this problem get bigger. Getting your ducks in a row maybe?
csdeven on June 9, 2007 at 12:12 PM
A bill needs to be introduced that if you’re here illegally, so are your kids even if you push one out every year or so while you’re on the soil on the U.S.!
THAT would be leadership, Mr. Graham, Mr. Lott, and Mr. Kennedy!
SouthernGent on June 9, 2007 at 12:13 PM
We need a blogging consortium similar to the “Victory Caucus” to coordinate efforts to hold legislators responsible AND to dissiminate ACCURATE information!!!!
Set it up, please, NOW. We can’t wait until Kenndy and his “bargain” hunters surface from the Capitol basement again.
Gull on June 9, 2007 at 12:15 PM
Allah,
You usually hit the nail on the head, but I a little concerned about the “outlaw of sanctuary cities …” as you have proposed. Though I am in 110% agreement that Illegal Aliens are nothing more than Illegal aliens, I am concerned about yet more power concentration in DC. What happened to States Rights in this case?
-Fat Old Guy
Fogpig on June 9, 2007 at 12:18 PM
O/T
Fox is reporting that they are questioning 3 suspects in the kidnapping of the two soldiers. They apparently have all 14 who participated in the raid in custody.
csdeven on June 9, 2007 at 12:18 PM
oops. BRYAN. Sorry.
Fogpig on June 9, 2007 at 12:18 PM
Bryan is wrong, not AP. That’s why it’s wrong, AP doesn’t make mistakes like that. :-0
J/K Bryan. :-)
csdeven on June 9, 2007 at 12:25 PM
But WE are stupid and don’t understand the situation.
csdeven on June 9, 2007 at 12:29 PM
I understand you concern, but what that one city does (in this case) affects the entire nation. Those illegal aliens, the city allows, end up costing taxpayers everywhere. I think what we should do is tell the cities that if they want to become a sanctuary, they need to take on the full cost.
Agreed.
amerpundit on June 9, 2007 at 12:34 PM
How about “stoptheamnesty.us”?
amerpundit on June 9, 2007 at 12:35 PM
I hate to be the pessimist here, but does anyone actually believe that these bills will be passed, or for that matter enforced on the odd chance that they are? After all, aren’t all three of those things technically already on the books?
Also, I would like to point out that Salazar is the name of one of the villians from Resident Evil 4, a game in which the enemies you fight are mindless thralls being controlled by a parasite. Funny how life imitates art, eh?
Wolfman on June 9, 2007 at 12:36 PM
That’s a valid concern, but the fact that the cities are dependant on so much federal funding means they have already surrendered their State’s (or in this case, local) rights. If they want to set their own foreign policy, then let them have all the autonomy they can grab. But let them give up federal subsidies as well and earn their freedom.
Coyote D. on June 9, 2007 at 12:48 PM
Illegal immigrants are breaking a federal law. The federal government has EVERY right to outlaw sanctuary cities. Otherwise it just becomes a local interest issue and continues to spread until it takes over the entire nation. We NEED more power concentration in the federal government on this issue. No localized government, that it is full of illegal aliens and special interest politicians, is going to have the cajones to take away the city’s sanctuary and take the immense amount of heat they will get for it.
hollygolightly on June 9, 2007 at 12:49 PM
Except they’ve been throwing out this line for years now;
B-b-b-b-b-but….we hafta solve the crisis all at oooooonce!
Its crap, they don’t care about enforcement or security at all. They want open borders, and for us proles to sit here and like it. Why wouldn’t they just build a fence and do some basic interior enforcement, weeding out sweatshops, gangmembers, potential terrorists, felons and people who break the law? Its basic law, and one the first things the government is supposed to do.
Not to mention the fact that no one trusts them to do the job they’ve been AWOL on for decades. Krauthammer has said for a while that the tools in DC have to earn the trust of the American people through showing that the illegal problem is going to end definitively, or an amnesty will never be accepted.
Bad Candy on June 9, 2007 at 1:08 PM
Progressives are in the immigration fight to transform the electorate into a permanent Dem majority. I think they’ve been emboldened now by a near victory, and will keep immigration at the top of their agenda until they succeed.
Bryan and Darwin have the right idea. I wish I could be optimistic that such measures will be adeptly pursued.
petefrt on June 9, 2007 at 1:53 PM
National security is properly (and more importantly) constitutionally a power reserved to the federal governmnet. The states or the cities have no right to undermine national security by providing sanctuary to people who have entered the country illegally and can potentially present a national security threat.
thirteen28 on June 9, 2007 at 2:17 PM
While the majority of these suddenly no longer illegal aliens would probably vote Democrat I think it is short sighted to assume that the Democratic leadership supporting this bill isn’t bought and paid for by the big business concerns that own their counterparts on the right.
Buzzy on June 9, 2007 at 2:18 PM
Bingo.
We need to send them home, either by attrition or by force.
We need to ban them from free medical help, except to save their live and then that requires them to be deported after the help.
We also need to ban them from schools and subsidized programs.
Remove the anchor baby rule, and require if a child is a citizen, and the parents are illegal, the child must go back until he is 18 and then can return.
Finally, place in the law a rule that if you are here illegally and caught you are banned from entrance again. I don’t care if they make a 1 month provision, in case they overstay a few days, but I do want real punishment if they just continue to stay here.
Tim Burton on June 9, 2007 at 2:21 PM
Oh and it just isn’t the welfare that the Democrats want them here, it is the voting block. They vote 60% to the left. Not acceptable in my book.
Tim Burton on June 9, 2007 at 2:22 PM
If this thing rears it’s ugly head, we need to double our efforts and smack the traitors down even harder.
I want them to get pains in their heads whenever they just think about amnesty.
voiceofreason on June 9, 2007 at 2:28 PM
Anyone else seen the CNN.com poll?!?!?! SHOCKAH?
Do you want Congress to give the immigration bill another chance?
Yes 36% 4592 votes
No 64% 8303 votes
SouthernGent on June 9, 2007 at 2:33 PM
It’s pining for the fields…
TBinSTL on June 9, 2007 at 2:47 PM
Stupid ideas like this can lie dormant in the House/Senate for years. Like spores or seeds from weeds. We just have to poison/burn/pull/mow these ideas and ones like them occasionally.
Mojave Mark on June 9, 2007 at 2:50 PM
All of this is good. However, none takes away the ample amount of honey which attracts the bees. So long as the current laws are not enforced on punishment of the employers (when hiring illegals, in low and high-level jobs), not much will change.
Entelechy on June 9, 2007 at 2:53 PM
Build the damned wall.
Enforce the existing laws.
Fire the pandering poli-pimps.
profitsbeard on June 9, 2007 at 5:40 PM
Hell yea!
I know, let’s have Paris do her community service on the border in sexed up uni, that’ll bring attention to the expeditionary force from the south.
Once the tons of garbaged strewn all over the “fragile” desert are on MSM that alone will get this “stolen continent” crap shut down.
We do need to resist goofing off and continue to write and Email the good guys in both the House and the Senate and “urge” them to do exactly like Bryan is saying and keep up the pressure on all of the members of Congress.
The best defense is a great offense, time to rock and roll!
Hmmm, I wonder if Hooters girls in border watch towers with binos would work?
Speakup on June 9, 2007 at 5:43 PM
The citizens of Farmers Branch, a densely populated Dallas suburb, last month passed by popular vote an ordinance which would have imposed penalties on landlords who rent to illegal aliens. A Dallas federal priest (oops! I mean federal judge my bad!) enjoined enforcement of the ordinance on the ground that the federal government had pre-empted issues relating to immigration law. Ha! What about the so called santuary cities? If the voters of Farmers Branch have no rights, then how can the so called sanctuary cities legally exist?
Labamigo on June 9, 2007 at 6:39 PM
Heh.
Ditto that. Last week was just the first round of the politicians vs. the people.
Spirit of 1776 on June 9, 2007 at 9:50 PM
Anyone who still thinks the left is coming from a humanitarian position is terminally naive. For the left, it’s all about importing a permanent Dem majority. Permanent.
petefrt on June 9, 2007 at 10:00 PM
Well, if the bill ain’t dead, let’s hope Salazar’s political career IS.
Warner Todd Huston on June 10, 2007 at 4:09 AM
petefrt on June 9, 2007 at 10:00 PM
No its not, it’s even worse. What this whole immigration issue is really about is funding social security in 20 or 30 years. Our beloved congress critters have been spending the social security surplus like it was crack they were smoking.
Now with the baby boomers starting to retire and the majority retiring in 20 years or so congress realizes that the bill for social security is about to come due in a major f%cking way.
The baby boomers make up some 60% to 70% of the current population; with 70% of the population retired where is the money to pay their social security going to come from? Don’t say it’s going to come from the social security fund, because congress spent that fund.
So what we have is congress attempting to pull a ponzi scheme by bringing in as many new people into they system as possible from whom they can extract social security tax money to pay the social security benefits of those about to retire.
doriangrey on June 10, 2007 at 10:48 AM
Let’s make it a dirt nap.
drjohn on June 10, 2007 at 11:08 AM