WASHINGTON -- Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and 13 fellow conservative Republican senators are urging colleagues not to set time limits on debate over a sweeping immigration bill. But it appears that sponsors will get the 60 votes they need to set up a final passage later this week. The GOP senators wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry...
WASHINGTON -- Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and 13 fellow conservative Republican senators are urging colleagues not to set time limits on debate over a sweeping immigration bill. But it appears that sponsors will get the 60 votes they need to set up a final passage later this week.
The GOP senators wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressing their fears that the cloture vote -- now set for 5:30 p.m. Monday (June 24) -- would bring to an end their efforts to amend the legislation.
"There is the prospect of a full shut-down of amendment votes after today," the senators wrote. "This is deeply, deeply disturbing. It is effectively shutting down the American people's ability to be heard on this issue through their elected representatives."
Vitter is hoping that voters will contact their senators to oppose legislation that he says provides legal status for 11 million illegal immigrations before the border security improvements promised in the legislation are implemented. He said that an immigration bill had been expected to pass the Senate in 2007, but was derailed by strong grass-roots opposition.
The same thing can happen again, Vitter said.
But this time the bill has garnered more Democratic and Republican support. Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, who joined 15 other Democrats to kill the 2007 bill, is now saying she's likely to vote for this year's legislation, though she's still pressing for some amendments.
Landrieu has said that the current "broken immigration system," isn't good for anyone, and that the new bill brings expanded enforcement provisions designed to significantly reduce illegal immigration.
And some conservative Republicans are now indicating they might well vote for the legislation now that the so-called Senate "Gang of 8" -- four Democrats and four Republicans -- has agreed to an amendment by two GOP senators that would double the federal law enforcement force patrolling the U.S.-Mexican border.
Over the weekend, Vitter tweeted his views that the amendment by Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker isn't sufficient:
"Page 121 of Corker amendt says illegal immigrants can keep their confiscated property. Wonder if Federales extend same courtesy to Americans?"
"Pg 94 creates Task Force w/ experts in "migration, civil & human rights, community relations & quality of life."
"Found 8 "emergency spending" items so far to hide true costs. Fast tracking amnesty is not an emergency! I'll continue to fight. #noamnesty."
Landrieu and several other Democrats have raised questions about increased visas that can be used by foreign workers to take jobs at U.S. businesses. Landrieu said she has been pushing for better training for U.S. workers and better protection for American workers.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been urging to lower the number of cultural visas permitted under the legislation.
"At a time when nearly 14 percent of the American people do not have a full-time job, at a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and at a time when tens of millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages, it makes no sense to me that the immigration reform bill includes a massive increase in temporary guest worker programs that will allow large corporations to import and bring into this country hundreds of thousands of temporary blue-collar and white-collar guest workers from overseas," Sanders said.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the bill's chief sponsor, said the current broken immigration system is hurting immigrants, U.S. workers and businesses.
"This broken system has produced dysfunctional outcomes," Schumer said. "It has created an unsustainable situation where thousands of people cross our southern border illegally each day while, at the same time, we continue to see shortages in much needed occupations such as doctors, scientists, engineers, and agricultural workers. And, on the flip side, the fact that we do not have good, strong, workable federal immigration laws is now causing states to pass inconsistent laws that create havoc for employers and law enforcement."