Immigration Bill Gets Killed (Must Read Update)
As a South Carolina transplant and a native Georgian, I was glad to see that my two home state Senators, Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, did an about face and voted against the immigration bill they once supported. I would also like to thank Sen. Jim DeMint for the hard work he put in to prevent this bill from passing
Another fellow Georgian, Erick Erickson of Redstate, has been leading the netroots effort to stop this poorly written piece of legislation from passing. Erickson had this to say about today’s success:
Heroes include Jim DeMint and Jeff Sessions for leading the fight against this bill.
Villains have to include John McCain and Lindsey Graham for their tag team efforts in South Carolina to personally smear Jim DeMint. They can deny it, but lots of us know what happened and shame on them.
The bill was killed on a motion to evoke cloture on debate which failed by a vote of by a vote of 46-53.
The tag team efforts Erickson is referring to were spearhead by the anonymous RQ&A/McCain blog Palmetto Scoop. More to come on this later.
UPDATE:
Sen. Jim DeMint’s Statement
“When the U.S. Senate brought the Amnesty bill back up this week, they declared war on the American people. This act created a crisis of confidence in their government. Thankfully, the American people won today,” said Senator DeMint. “This is remarkable because it shows that Americans are engaged and they care deeply about their country. They care enough for their country to get mad and to fight for it, and that’s the most important thing of all. Americans made phone calls and sent letters, and convinced the Senate to stop this bill.”
“The Senate rejected this bill and the heavy-handed tactics used to ram it through. Americans do not want more of the same – amnesty and broken promises on the border. Americans want legislation to be written in public – not in secret – and they want Congress to engage in an open and fair debate.”
“There is a better way forward without this bill. The President has said that the border security measures can be implemented over the next 18 months, and they can be done under current law. Now the Administration needs to prove it and stop holding border security hostage for amnesty.”
“Once we have secured the border and restored trust with the American people, we can begin to take additional steps.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Statement
“Several months ago, I met with President Bush at the White House to discuss our out-of-control problems with illegal immigration. He asked me if I would help him push immigration reform through Congress and I gave him my word I would. I support President Bush and admire his leadership. I will be forever grateful for his work to try and solve this difficult problem.
“President Bush and I made it clear we would not compromise on our guiding principle that securing our nation’s borders must be our first priority. Our plan made unprecedented efforts and provided over $4.4 billion in funding to secure our nation’s borders and deal with immigration in a comprehensive manner.
“The legislation first and foremost secured our border. It also established a new comprehensive employee verification system for all workers to ensure people are in the country legally and eligible to work. We were going to break the cycle of chain migration and institute a new merit-based immigration system to attract the best and brightest from around the world. And we were instituting a temporary guest worker program to meet our nation’s labor needs.
“If the bill’s failing leads to Congress finding a better solution, then the American people will have won. If the status quo and broken immigration system continue to go unaddressed, then the American people lost. I do fear our failure to act will only allow the problem of illegal immigration to grow worse and the anger felt by some Americans will grow more intense.
“I worry that local and state governments will begin to act more aggressively and create a hodge-podge of laws. While the President’s legislation was not perfect, it was honest, realistic and an improvement over current law. Secretary of Homeland Security Chertoff, who is responsible for enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, made it clear that in some cases the tools he needs to control illegal immigration are either non-existent or very weak. I’m disappointed some of the tools he wanted and desperately needed to control illegal immigration were left on the Senate floor.
“The American people have a historically low view of Congress. We seem unable to do the public’s business and find consensus on difficult issues.
“Finally, I want to say a few words about my friend and colleague Jim DeMint. We found ourselves in an unusual situation. While we usually agree, President Bush and I have very different views from Jim on the best way to address this contentious issue. Jim held firm to his beliefs and was a very strong advocate for his position.”
Sen. John McCain’s Statement
“I am disappointed that the Senate was unable to conclude its debate on comprehensive immigration reform,” the GOP presidential hopeful said in a statement. “However, the American people will not settle for the status quo – de facto amnesty and broken borders.”
“I am hopeful that we will have another chance to address this critical national security issue that affects people throughout our country,” he added. “In the meantime, we must keep working to secure our borders while we continue fighting to reform our unenforceable immigration laws.”
Mitt Romney Statement
”The immigration bill failed because the politicians in Washington are out of touch with the American people. The voice of the people is loud and clear – secure the border, enforce the law and no special deal for permanent residency or citizenship for illegals. America will always welcome legal immigration, but as a nation we also insist on the rule of law.”
Rudy Giuliani’s Statement
“Today a majority in the Senate made clear this bill shortchanged the American people by failing to end illegal immigration and failing to secure our borders. The bill did not deserve to move forward.
“As I have said before, this bill – which I believed was based more on compromise than on principle – failed to do several basic things, including: securing our borders, creating a uniform tamper-proof ID card for all foreign workers and students, establishing a single nationwide database of foreigners, and mandating the full implementation of a biometric ‘check in-check out’ system.
“The legislation was a hodgepodge at best, and I believe it would have ultimately made our country less secure.
“I urge the President to use the authority and funds at his disposal to do everything possible to end illegal immigration and secure our borders
Sen. Sam Brownback’s Statement
“I voted against the Senate immigration bill because I am not convinced it would fix our broken immigration system and it would most likely repeat the mistakes of the 1986 reform”
We will continue to update this page as we receive each press releases.
July 14th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
IF THE WELFARE SYSTEM WOULD CEASE TO EXISTS(PLEASE READ ON) AND THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA THROUGH THEIR RELIGIOUS AND NON-RELIGOUS CHARITIES OR ASSEMBLIES WERE ALLOWED TO CONTRIBUTE( WITH TAX BREAKS) I’M POSITIVELY SURE THAT WHEN AMERICANS ARE GIVEN THIS RESPONSIBILITY,CONGRESS WOULD NEVER-NEVER HAVE A NEED TO IMPLEMENT SUCH WASTEFUL WELFARE PROGRAMS AGAIN. I SAY THE ABOVE AS AN ANSWER TO THE CURRENT FEAR IN AMERICA ABOUT IMMIGRANTS ABUSING THE WELFARE SYSTEM. I CAN SEE OUR RELIGOUS GROUPS AND CHARITIES SUPPLYING HEALTH SERVICES AND EDUCATION FOR EVERYONE WHO NEEDS THESE SERVICES. I AM ALSO CONVINCED AFTER WATCHING THESE IMMIGRANTS WORK THAT THEY, IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, WOULD PURCHASE INSURANCE AND PAY FOR EDUCATION AND NOT NEED ADDITIONAL HELP FROM THESE AGENCIES. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IT IS NOT ABOUT THE RULE OF LAW BUT THE FEAR OF OVERTAXING OUR CURRENT WELFARE SYSTEM. WE NEED A GOOD CASE OF REALITY AND DEAL WITH OUR PROBLEMS AND NOT RUN TO A WASTEFUL BEAUCRACY
TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS.