A diverse group of conservative, mainly Republican religious leaders are touring the country in support of comprehensive immigration reform. Their goal: to target Republicans who can be convinced that immigration reform is a moral imperative.
In a conference call Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform held Wednesday, moderator Juan Hernandez said their group has been meeting privately on the Hill with Republicans in the House and Senate who said they needed President Obama to pave the way for reform. Now that the President has made his speech on immigration, pressure is ratcheting up on both sides of the aisle.
Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) said that a bipartisan working group in the House has developed a bill that calls for increased resources at the border, employer sanctions, and an earned path to a green card. Diaz-Balart says that if the House were to pass the bill, it would provide arguments for the Senate, but says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) refuses to bring the bill to a floor vote. "The speaker -- who has the ear of the president, needs to allow a vote."
Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said the working group included some "heavy hitters" on both sides of the aisle, but noted that when he met with Pelosi, the Speaker said Democratic House members are not willing to put their seats on the line when a bill would face almost certain defeat in the Senate.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, says Republicans are divided between their short term objectives for 2010 and their long term objectives for 2012. "The Tea Party may win 2010 , but lose in 2012. A tea party without chips and salsa is no party at all."
Rev. Guillermo Maldonado, Senior Pastor of El Rey Jesus, the largest church in Miami, blames misinformation for the divide, saying that many Republicans falsely believe that Hispanics want open borders and amnesty. "I believe there's no good information to them. This is what most Hispanic leaders are talking about."
Follow Sue Wilson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sueblueswilson
Now, 24 years later, it is the same old song and dance - tough enforcement in exchange for the amnesty lite called "a pathway to legalization". I am sure that people can understand how those who were burned once refuse to be burned again. That making deals with those who break their promises is making no deal at all.
Remember the trail of broken promises the US Government made to the American Indians? Or does no one learn from history these days? The entire history of agreements between American Indian Nations and the US Government is one of broken agreements just like the broken agreement that was Simpson-Mazzoli.
It is readily apparent that Illegal Immigrant supporters have no trust what-so-ever that tough enforcement today may lead to “a pathway to legalization” tomorrow. Yet they have no qualms about asking everyone to trust the Government just one more time and make another Comprehensive Immigration Reform agreement like the one from 1986 that was never honored. And deporting a small fraction of those who illegally entered the USA after 1986 and then saying “system works” is a joke.
2. Harsh penalties for those that employ illegal aliens
3. Deport any illegal alien that breaks our laws
4. Citizenship for those here illegally, sure, go back and get in line like everyone else
"The back of the line" starts in their native country - they do the paperwork to apply, pay the money and WAIT in line like they are supposed to do - ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF IMMIGRATION!
He needs the votes now that he has trashed the people that elected him
Obama needs to put as much effort in closing the borders as he is suing Arizona for trying to do the job the Federal Government is failing to do
The non rights of non citizens are not the issue they are the problem and giving away millions of new citizenships to the undocumented is a non answer
It's legitimitizing the problem 10-15 million people with no way of proving who they are uneducated no English even after decades in this country illiterate in their own language low skilled and poor
Not to mention the criminals looking for a fresh start with a new name from some forged papers Yes thats right papers The ones every country issues their people so they are able to identify themselves
Kinda makes it look like the Marial Boatlift when Castro opened the jails and insane asylums then dumped all of these new citizens in Miami and the Keys
One foot dry one wet then drug wars
Yes we sure have some real winners here
They show nothing but comtempt for American laws and culture and then make demands for rights they have no claim to
If your illegals are suffering so badly maybe they should see the error of their ways and return home
Reunite their families
You know look for a better life
Fixing their problems at home
Must get the talking points correct shouldn't we
How about a new word like Repatriation
As in go home
Whats your plan anyone who shows up gets a pathway along with their family because they need to be together until
We are the World
Before anything is said about any new visas we will first secure the border and enforce the laws
Not waste time suing a state that is overrun with border jumpers
Thats first because without controlling the situation we will create more chaos than we have now and no reform will work
Institutionalized disaster that will wreck us from the core my friend thats what your talking about and thats why we will not allow you to prevail
We are broke and any single education health food or housing dollar spent on an Illegal trespasser is one dollar to many
Any crime committed by an Illegal trespasser is one that shouldn't have happened
Any prisoner in our overcrowded jails is one to many and a danger to society even in lockup
Any job held by an Illegal is one that belongs to an American and that means under the wage and fairness laws Not the games these Illegal contractors and employers play
So yeah the word Amnesty is a big problem
I have no problem with a person turning their self in, being verified they are illegal, fined a huge amount and then while they are paying the fine off they are given a legal status. Once they fail to pay and keep the court handling it updated with their address, then deport them. Otherwise you will not get them to self surrender-just will not happen. There must be an incentive to doing so.
Another example is the phrase "reasonable suspicion". The words "reasonable suspicion" actually appears in the United States Federal Code of Regulations 174 times, across all forms of law enforcement. Why is this phrase suddenly a problem now and only in connection with the Arizona Immigration Law enforcement when in fact it has been upheld by the Supreme Court? Yet this phrase has been fear mongered to death.
And then there is the “breaking up families” mantra. In fact, Law Enforcement breaks up families every day while doing their job. Many Robbers, Con Artists, Drunk Drivers, and even Murderers have families. Yet all are routinely jailed thus “breaking up families”. So why is it the only violation of Criminal Law that causes people to decry “breaking up families” is the violation called Illegal Entry into the United States of America?
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.