Senate to debate immigration bill Monday

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions will be recognized to speak for three hours:

Daily Whip Notice
Friday, May 18, 2007 09:00 AM - Friday, May 18, 2007 11:00 AM

Friday, May 18, 2007

*THE SENATE IS NOT IN SESSION TODAY*

The Senate will next convene at 1:00 pm Monday, May 21st.

At 1:00 pm, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1348, the Immigration bill, and Senator Sessions will be recognized to speak for up to 3 hours. The remaining time until 5:30 pm will be equally divided. At 5:30 pm, the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1348.

Senator Sessions did his job last year in defending legal, law abiding, U.S. citizens against the Immigration Reform Bill (S.2611):

The United States benefits both economically and culturally from immigration, but there are security risks and costs also to consider. A wise country will seek to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs all the while insuring that the system is operated in a lawful manner. Our approach should not be based on emotions, polls, or politics. It should be founded on the legitimate national interests of the United States. Determining those legitimate interests requires a sustained and thoughtful inquiry into all the factors important to the nation.

While we all agree the present system is broken, and our lack of enforcement makes a mockery of the law, we have conducted no national dialogue on what our goals for the future should be. That is why I believe the compromise failed and why I believe a rush to pass “something” would represent a colossal failure by the Senate to meet its responsibility to the American people.

The same situation exists this year and a "colossal failure" is assured if the current proposed compromise bill passes and is signed into law.  Senator Sessions, although unsuccessful in getting the bill defeated in the Senate last year, made a strong case for putting the horse before the cart:

If the Senate wants to be successful in passing immigration reform, its first priority should be to approve a bill to secure the borders and increase interior-enforcement infrastructure. Then we can move on to discussions about fair and humane treatment of the illegal-alien population and the future flow of immigrants across our borders.

If your house is flooding, first turn off the water and then start bailing.  There is too much at stake to do it any other way.  Our open borders are a national security risk.  How many people already here are gang members, drug dealers, or potential terrorists?  Who knows?  In the rush to pass a massive, convoluted bureaucratic nightmare amnesty bill, where is the urgency to identify criminals who are already here?

.....Illegal immigrants who come out of the shadows will be given probationary status. Once the border security and enforcement benchmarks are met, they must pass a background check, remain employed, maintain a clean criminal record, pay a $1,000 fine, and receive a counterfeit-proof biometric card to apply for a work visa or "Z visa." Some years later, these Z visa holders will be eligible to apply for a green card, but only after paying an additional $4,000 fine; completing accelerated English requirements; getting in line while the current backlog clears; returning to their home country to file their green card application; and demonstrating merit under the merit-based system.

The short answer is there is no urgency.  Our smiling politicians don't seem to be too concerned about homeland security.  They only see millions of new voters.  But the joke will be on the Republicans supporting this shamnesty.  The vast majority of illegals will support and vote for Democrats.

The threat to national security is not the only threat, our economic security is at risk as well.  The cost of granting citizenship to millions of low-skilled, under-educated immigrants is staggering.

We do not need an immigration reform bill.  We need to secure the borders and enforce existing laws.  We already have a path to citizenship, a legal path.  Why must legal Americans and immigrants waiting in line have to pay the price for the millions of illegal aliens who did not follow the rules?