The Aftermath of S 1639 (Amnesty)

The bill is dead. So what now?

FIRST - Gratitude is in order. It was important for us to call our Senators to stop the bill. It is now just as important to call/email those voting nay and say “thanks”. I suggest picking at least 5 (other than your own) from the nay votes. If you’re Senator voted for (yea) on cloture, do NOT forget it when election time (especially primaries) come up. For those of us in Utah, Hatch voted nay and Bennett voted yea (keep this in mind for 2010, if he runs again).

Identity theft is going to be on ongoing issue as it related to illegal immigrants stealing/guessing citizen’s (and children’s) social security numbers. At this time, it looks like the Senate will need some time to lick its wounds and employer verification legislation will be left to the states to enact. I believe Alabama and Georgia already have. Fortunately, the word also seems to be getting out about worker verification.

States will probably be left to take the lead in implementing various enforcement measures (again Georgia and Alabama are some examples, but I’m forgetting another state…Colorado?) in an attempt to begin to control the issues caused by illegal immigration (especially those of the criminal stripe).

This is, unfortunately, unlikely but it would be nice to see Congress start anew with regular hearings (no closed door deal garbage) on bills dealing with our immigration system.

First, they need to regain trust of American people. The trust was already lost due to the ‘86 amnesty along with others passed since and the recent legislative tactic (back room dealing, pushing it through as fast a possible) has only made everyone more suspicious.

They should enact new, and bolster, current enforcement and border security measures. Keeping the promise to build the fence, for one, will go a long way, however, that, in and of itself will not be sufficient - I and many others are leery of simply being patronized so that some sweeping amnesty can be pushed through with the fence left to rot. A good example of this was that $4.4 billion for the fence that was pledged in the recent amnesty bill - it turns out even that measure is purported to have a loophole in it to allow the money to be used to implement Z visa (amnesty) provisions. It also seems duplicitous that, all of a sudden, the fence promised last year was, somehow, contingent on the legislation being passed this year. Border security and enforcement would also assist us in turning off the magnet that allows for our ‘underground’ labor market (Chambers of Commerce may not be happy, though).

Second, I would love to see us improve our current immigration policies. Knowing people who have come here legally on various visas (as well as even going before a US Consul General on behalf of one), the process needs to be streamlined. This is especially true of countries considered to be our strong allies. Realistically, such policies would have involve some type of profiling to weed out would-be security threats and provide for greater scrutiny of those in groups statistically more likely to pose a threat. I think this is something that could be done right on the heals of enforcement/security measures as recent controversy was almost entirely focused on illegal immigration rather than legal immigration.

After legal immigrants are addressed, a guest worker program would be something to look into. However, I would not rush this as many of the initial kinks and bugs of the (above) streamlined immigration process coupled with its enhanced security measures would, likely, translate to guest worker visas. It would be wise to learn from the streamlined immigration process for a year or two prior to tackling a guest worker program. Plus, we essentially already have 12 to 20 million ‘guest workers’ present in our country at this time.

I would also let the guest worker program run for a few years prior to tackling the illegal immigrants residing here (and weeding out the criminals that remain after the application of the various enforcement and security measures). Again, the things we learned in the previous phases of the immigration issue would have applications to any type of amnesty visa provided to eligible recipients.

I would, additionally, hope that all these things would be addressed as separate legislation through the normal process. Ultimately, a clear, open public discourse focused on each category, would significantly increase public acceptance of reforms where confusing, bloated bills with extraordinary legislative maneuvers only result in the opposite.

One last thing that is also key (which I’ve, admittedly, failed to notice) relates to what the Mexican Ambassador recently stated. He noted that the proposed US reform won’t stop illegal immigration and he’s right (read the post and full article)! Reforms need to reach across the border too (including past Mexico). That certainly should not be just another hand out. Often those to more harm than good - donated clothing can wipe out cottage industries, only further harming local economies (I think it was the President of Mozambique or Zambia who pleaded with the US to stop sending certain types of aid, a few years ago). We need to stand up and, more aggressively, support real democratic and market opening/economic freedom reforms in those countries. They are responsible for their country, but we can help when it is accepted. Again, be sure to click HotAir’s link for the full CSM editorial and pay special attention to the closing paragraphs.

Like I said, the Senate is going to be very sheepish for a while on any immigration issue. I was going to say we can content ourselves beating back the “fairness [censorship] doctrine” but it looks like Representative Pence has already taken care of it. That’s ok. Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid (don’t forget Murtha) are already plotting on Iraq for July.

The Beast May Be Dead (UPDATE It’s dead, Jim)

The wicked thing may be giving its last breath (I hope). We needed five votes to switch and oppose cloture. By my count we may have them. I called a series on Senators listed on Laura Ingraham’s website. I asked each one I could reach (got a lot of busy signals and left a bunch of messages on voice mail) how if the Senator had taken a position on cloture (and either thanked them or asked that they vote no). Here are those who’s offices have stated they are voting NO on cloture:

Bond
Nelson
Burr
Domenici
Ensign

That’s five. This is looking good. KEEP CALLING. Also keep tabs on HotAir, I’m sure they will be keeping up minute-by-minute with developments regarding this bill.

UPDATE: Cloture failed. Stick a fork in it. I’ll get the vote totals and roll call as soon as possible.

Vote tally: 53 Nay, 46 Yea. Click here for the vote record.

Pemptively Forging Amnesty Documents

This comes from the Washington Times (Amnesty’ fake papers pledged in wiretap):

The head of a Mexican forgery ring was convinced he could make phony documents that illegal aliens could use to indicate fraudulently that they were eligible for a new amnesty, says a government affidavit recounting wiretapped phone calls the man made.

Julio Leija-Sanchez, who ran a $3 million-a-year forgery operation before he was arrested in April, was expecting Congress to pass a legalization program, which he called “amnesty,” and said he could forge documents to fool the U.S. government into believing illegal aliens were in the country in time to qualify for amnesty, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent said in the affidavit.

In recounting a wiretapped telephone conversation, ICE agent Jason E. Medica said he heard Mr. Leija-Sanchez tell an associate the forgery ring could “fix his papers” to meet the requirements of a legalization program such as the bill the Senate is debating today.

Mr. Leija-Sanchez also used his forgery ring to help smuggle illegal aliens into the country on the understanding they would work for his criminal enterprise. He was arrested on charges of forgery and conspiracy to commit murder.

There are more details about how widespread this ring was, and how it relates to the amnesty bill, at the above link. The operation made a good chunk of money and it was NOT on fake documents for amnesty. What might it be on? My guess (with a very high degree of certainty) would be fake and stolen identities illegal immigrants require to work (plenty of information available here, too).

Yet our Senators feel no shame in preventing Homeland Security (DHS) from even informing victims of such theft (with a $10,000 fine punishment for anyone who dares tell you your child’s identity was breached) or of making the information immediately available to law enforcement agencies. They seem content to leave victims holding the bag to clean up the mess. Currently, the identity thieves will be granted a Z visa etc as they will have no record of the crime IF DHS runs a background check.

The only puzzling thing about the above article is that I’m not so sure the amnesty docs would be that lucrative. Currently, the bill only requires a non family member sign an affidavit saying you were in the country prior to the cut-off date. Let’s face it, illegal immigrants entering after that date (and well after this bill passes) are not going to have much of a problem getting someone to sign the form (I’ll bet Coyotes will include that as part of the crossing “package”). I also don’t see how anyone is going to have time to determine that the forms were signed by a non family member or if the signing person themselves have legal status (or even trying to enforce such falsified forms) when millions are being turned in.

In the meantime, Senators are busy trying to find a way to shut up the “loud people” on matters they disagree with despite what the 1st Amendment states.

Related: Man [illegal immigrant] who assumed identity of serviceman gets 2 years in prison (found on “Read This“).

Having Some Clay Pigeon for Dinner (S 1639 Immigration Bill)(Update)

I’ll limit this to a quick blurb and some links.

As I had previously stated, it is not too late to contact your Senators. While things don’t look great in the senate, there are still indications that several Senators may vote no on the second cloture. The key Senators to contact (yes it is important to contact them even if they are not your Senator):

Burr (R-NC)
Brownback (R-KS)
Gregg (R-NH) email
Nelson of Nebraska (D)
Webb (D-VA) - scroll down for phone numbers (on right side)
Pryor (D-AR)
Bond (R-MO) - Ph. 202-224-5721 Fax 202-224-8149 (alternate ph: (816)471-7141)
Coleman (R-MN) email
John Ensign (R-NV) (Added 6/27)

Michelle Malkin has also obtained a copy of the clay pigeon amendment.

Finally, for RNC donors, now would be a good time to give them a call with a request they might understand.

UPDATE: BREAKING: 114-23, House GOP Rejects Senate Amnesty Bill

Amnesty: Hatch votes No; Bennett Votes Yes (Updates)(Update)

Amnesty Bill Update:

**It’s not over yet, there are some more cloture motions, but things are not looking good in the Senate. Keep up the pressure (see second update).
Hatch’s office states he voted no on cloture (call to thank him and encourage further opposition to this bill).

Bennet’s office states he voted for cloture - if the bill passes (no matter how he votes), he is responsible for it and 100% supported it with this vote (call to ask for him to oppose further cloture motions).

Keep tabs on this at HotAir:
Countdown to amnesty;Update: Bush calls bill “amnesty” (sort of); Update: Heart-ache, 64-35

I’ll post the roll call vote as soon as I can get it.

UPDATE: Here’s how they voted (roll call)

UPDATE: The second cloture vote will occur on Thursday. This cloture only restricts amendments (see the “clay pigeon” stuff linked off this blog and elsewhere).

I think I’ll leave it at that. Again, keep tabs on HotAir and NRO et.

UPDATE: What happens next? See:
What are the Procedures after Cloture on S 1639? - see reply 4 (by CyberLiberty)

Remember, this is not over. Continue calling, emailing, and faxing Senators (don’t forget you can also use the toll free ‘vip’ line as well) and we’ve still got the House (which should be a tougher battle).

Finally, don’t forget how these guys voted on this (and, for some, the ad hominem attacks they spewed) in the upcoming years when you go to party caucuses and vote in primary elections.

Baqubah and Dramatic Rescue

I’m not even going to try to excerpt this. Just go to Michael Yon’s latest dispatch about the progress made in Baqubah. The dispatch gives another look into al-Qaeda ‘governance’ of local populations, the progress, and (of special importance) residents assistance in the operation. Yon also recommends the NYT’s (yes even I will plug them for decent reporting) Micheal Gordon (even Army officers are please with the treatment their getting from an NYT reporter).

Here’s something else worth watching (US troops in dramatic rescue) which took place in Afghanistan

Cloture/Immigration Vote This Week (Tuesday)

OK, this is basically the last chance you have to contact your Senator regarding the immigration bill. I’ve seen reports that the cloture vote (essentially passing the bill if cloture succeeds) is scheduled for Tuesday morning (although that may be delayed, depending how much opposition Reid faces). Basically, today (and maybe early tomorrow) is the last chance you have to ask your Senators to oppose cloture and oppose the bill:

List of Senators

Hatch and Bennett remain wild cards and need to hear from you.

To get more background on why the cloture vote is a stealth vote for the bill, look at the “clay pigeon post” and/or the immigration posts I’ve put up over the over the last week along with the links to rightwingnews blog.

A couple of updates as well. In the clay pigeon post I had noted an indication that Senator Hatch may try to pull the cloture strategy. I talked to an acquaintance who also called Hatch’s office and noted that Senator Alexander would be voting against cloture, the staffer (not the same as mine) emphatically stated “that’s great news!”. As such, I’ll place Hatch back in the uncertain category rather than leaning to amnesty. Bennett is still, very much, a toss up and has previously indicated supporting the bill but his office continues to state that “he’s still reviewing [it]“.

Also forgot to mention: Sen Clinton and Boxer denied suggesting going after talk radio, Inhofe stands by his statement but says it was three years ago.

Immigration Bill Update - The S 1639 Clay Pigeon (Sen Hatch Update)

According to Right Wing News, momentum is shifting against the bill (keep calling and writing). RWN also gives some background of the “clay pigeon” strategy to be employed:

…pro-amnesty forces have two key cloture votes that they have to win.

The first is the vote on the so-called “clay pigeon” strategy. What this does is take the original bill and all of its amendments and reintroduce it on the Senate floor as a new bill. There are two reasons for doing this. The first is to prevent killer amendments that could upset the “grand compromise” from being voted on. The second reason is procedural, because it keeps conservative Senators who are opposed to the bill from being able to slow up the process.

The conventional wisdom has been that this first cloture vote is a done deal because the Senate leadership has been wheeling and dealing behind the scenes. The way it works is that they go to a Senator and offer to allow a vote on their Amendment IF — and only if — that Senator agrees to vote for cloture on the “clay pigeon” strategy.

this has left a sour taste in the mouth of a number of Republican Senators who are upset that Mitch McConnell is cooperating with Harry Reid to curtail the rights of Republican Senators. Moreover, there’s a growing fear that a dangerous precedent is being set here that could be used against Republican Senators again and again as long as they’re in the minority. After all, if the “clay pigeon” strategy is used against conservatives on the immigration issue, who’s to say it won’t also be used against them on any number of issues in the future?

…if the bill does make it to the floor, there will be 22 amendments offered. These amendments have been carefully selected by the combined Democratic/Republican leadership to try to make sure that no deal breakers can make it through.

I asked him about Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss announcing that they will vote against cloture. My source’s take was that it wasn’t a bill killer, but that it was significant since both of them were prominent early supporters of the bill. He added that he thought their switch was indicative of the pressure Republicans are feeling at the grass roots level and he said that he thought Isakson and Chambliss deserved credit for paying attention to it while a lot of pro-amnesty supporters have tuned it out or even shut off their answering machines because they’re tired of hearing their constituents complain about this issue.

I suggest reading RWN’s entire post as it goes into greater detail and addresses the Lott and Graham fits. I wasn’t sure why Lott was put back in the leadership and continue to question that move. Additionally, Mark Levin exposed Lott’s historical desire to shut up critics via federal regulations (falling into line with Senators Clinton and Boxer, among other “fairness doctrine” supporters).

NOTE: Remember when calling to ask that they vote against cloture. Senators know if something has the votes to pass. Do NOT let them claim that voting for cloture just ends debate and allows the bill to be voted down. The tactic is to vote for cloture and then against the bill (which you know has enough votes to pass by simple majority), then tell constituents that you opposed the bill (while legislatively adept lobbyists, Senators, and the President know the true, tactical, score). A vote for cloture is a vote for the bill.

UPDATE: Sen. Hatch may be pulling the cloture stunt described above. I called Sen. Hatch’s office to ask him to oppose the bill and oppose cloture and said that I would consider a cloture vote a vote for the bill. The staffer came back with the line the cloture would only limit debate and bills can then fail in a vote. I countered (politely) that Senators know the ‘fix’ before cloture is voted on and would know it would pass. The staffer retorted “I’ll pass your opinion along, have a good day”. That’s the first time they haven’t asked for my name etc. I was polite, as should anyone calling be, no matter how you feel they are treating you (remember, they may be short due to call volumes they experience) etc - losing your cool will only hinder. Sen. Bennett’s office was polite and did take my information and stated that Sen. Bennett “is still reviewing the legislation” and has not taken a position on cloture.

Long story short: Sen. Hatch may not be someone to count on (may be pulling the ‘covert pro-amnesty’ tactic). Sen. Bennett is still a toss up (but is purportedly pro-amnesty). Both need to hear from you.

PS, I just need to spotlight this -  Video: Immigration lawyers discuss ways to disqualify US workers; find non-US workers

Shotgun Blast - 3 topic post

There are a bunch of issues I’ve wanted to talk about recently but have been tied up trying to track the illegal immigration fiasco in the Senate. I will continue to do so and we’ll start with that subject:

Immigration

The Politico notes (Immigration bill in four easy pieces) that there is a gathering push to break up the immigration bill:

Over the past two weeks, a handful of senators and representatives have argued that the complex Senate bill, teetering on a political and legislative seesaw, should be torn apart to deal with each component separately.

Additionally, the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest federation of unions, on Wednesday announced its opposition to the bill and suggested a less comprehensive approach might help coax its support.

But even backers have chafed at the broad approach. Underscoring the tenuous nature of the bill’s support, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has backed the measure, immediately raised the question after it stalled June 7: “Is comprehensive too much?”

Politico goes on to talk about polling showing opposition but fail to cite the polls/pollsters (not real helpful). The second comment to the post is interesting as well - it is from someone who was affected by identity theft (assuming they’re being truthful) and their reaction to the amnesty.

Military

If you are unaware, Operation Arrowhead Ripper was launched. Now would be a good time to keep tabs on the milblogs to get some raw action reports. The good news is, it appears Iraqis are cooperating.

Michael Yon-
Operation Arrowhead Ripper: Day One
Be Not Afraid:

Be Not Afraid

You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the face of God and live.

Be not afraid.
I go before you always;
Come follow me, and I will give you rest.

Bill Roggio is also on it:
The Battle of Iraq – 2007
The Battle of Baqubah II

MNF-Iraq also has a release out: Task Force Lightning continues Arrowhead Ripper in Baqouba

Continue to pray for our military and the Iraqis and their success. Don’t forget those in Afghanistan, either!

There is also some background as to why we lost Gen. Peter Pace. I wish Gen. Pace the best, he didn’t deserve this type of treatment. Thanks Gen. Pace. To learn more about the type of person and leader Pace is, take a look at his commencement address at the Citadel, it is inspiring. Unfortunately, this type of stuff isn’t going to be limited to Gen. Pace:

Military Officers Now Targets on Hill

Freedoms

“Progressives” continue their march to shut down things they don’t like, namely talk radio (and other purportedly conservative broadcasts). This is cloaked under the guise of the “fariness doctorine” which is essentially code for government bureaucrats deciding what you should be allowed to listen to and how much. Basically, they don’t want you, the market, to make the decision. Of course, the same folks that bring you this sham are those who’s top priority is protecting the 1st Amendment. Maybe they should mention the caveat: “…as long as we agree with the speech”. They seem to forget that the 1st Amendment also includes people’s right to choose what speech to listen to (or not) - just because you have freedom of speech doesn’t mean people should be forced to listen to you.

In local news, Davis County enacts smoking ban. I don’t smoke and, while I was exposed to plenty of second hand smoke in my youth, still don’t like it (I do like the smell of pipe smoke, however). The County made smoking class B misdemeanor in outdoor public places (parks, golf courses etc). I’m so tired of these government nannies. If smoking is such a big bad thing, then just completely outlaw it (prohibition part deux?). Ultimately, people have the right to smoke, so let them do so outside, at least (government is even banning smoking in private clubs, but that’s another rant).

Finally, PBS still doesn’t want anyone to see the film about moderate Muslims and is using disengenuous tactics to bury the film. More information at FreeTheFilm.net.

Amnesty Bill 2 (S 1639) and Comments

The Senate came out with a ‘new’ bill (including new number - S1639) to include a few changes. The Heritage Foundation has a copy of the bill available at their site.

As I understand it there isn’t anything too new in the bill. They threw borrowed money ($4.4 billion) in for border security and may extend the background check period to 30 days (I’m not sure about this). It seems that proponents think throwing money at the problem (rather than substantive changes) and shutting down Senate critics will somehow magically solve the major issues the bill continues to have. Ultimately, serious gaps will remain and, unfortunately, more problems continue to be found:

The Senate Immigration Bill: A National Security Nightmare (Giving Terrorists Options) A short MUST READ

Loophole in Senate Immigration Bill to Pay $966 Billion in Social Security to Two Million Illegal Workers (TREA)
Can’t forget the Congressional Budgeting Office’s report: Bill will cut immigration by only 25%, claims CBO

The Senate shouldn’t be ramming through such a massive bill with far reaching effects in such a short amount of time. Each reform category (enforcement, traditional immigration, guest workers, illegals) should be given due time for open consideration (instead of this ridiculous closed door stuff) so that various organizations etc have time to find loopholes and allow lawmakers to fix them as much as possible. Enforcement could be rapidly passed and implementation begun. While that progresses, “traditional immigration” reforms (the guest worker program shortly thereafter) could be addressed. Ultimately the process would take a few years rather than a few weeks. Instead, they seem intent on pushing this through for the sake of saying they did something.

In terms of the drafts I put up:

I don’t think they would address the above issues. In the end, this only provides more reasons as to why we need to split the bill up and start with the enforcement stuff.

I also keep reading and hearing better ideas than mine (such as placing a portion of guest worker pay in an escrow service collectible at the border). The SSA should also be henceforth required to inform law enforcement and victims if their identity is breached (currently, there is some sort of legal barrier to doing so). We should also ban the use of the “matricula consular” as a form of valid identity for financial institutions, among other security concerns, given the cards lack of required security measures and identity verification prior to issuance.

A note on part IV: I never really gave the thing a good review but I don’t feel I have the time to comb back through it (so I posted it as I had promised). That should be fairly obvious as I didn’t get a chance to develop a list of difficult to forge documentation required to prove your pre 2006 residency/work and your identity (which would start to address the “National Security Nightmare”). I also don’t like giving the ID thieves a break but that’s all I could come up with (at the moment) as an effective means to find which numbers were compromised and inform victims.

If none of this lights your fire, just look to the border: Illegals light border fires to sidetrack U.S. agents