Are Americans finally being heard on the hill?

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Is the will of "We the people" finally going to to hold sway on immigration into America?





WASHINGTON





The House and the Senate moved yesterday toward a piecemeal crackdown on illegal immigration, pushing forward separate bills to require photo identification to vote, build fences on the U.S.-Mexico border and speed the deportation of undocumented workers. The bills would take the place of President Bush's far broader rewrite of the nation's immigration laws.





Voting almost completely along party lines, the House voted 228-196 for a bill that would require all who register to vote in federal elections to show photo identification that proves that they are U.S. citizens.





The Senate, meanwhile, voted 94-0 to take up a bill passed by the House last week to build 700 miles of double-layered fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border, with a final vote to come as early as Monday.





Today, the House is scheduled to take up bills to speed up the deportation of illegal immigrants, ratchet up penalties for immigrant gang members and human smugglers, end an exemption for Salvadoran illegal immigrants from rapid deportation, make it a crime to tunnel under the border, and overtly deputize state and local police officers to enforce federal immigration laws.





In an interview on CNN, Bush said he would sign the legislation, even though it does not embrace a more comprehensive approach - including a guest-worker program - that he has backed.





"Yes, I'll sign it into law," he said. "I would view this as an interim step. I don't view this as a final product."





Passage of the legislation - should it occur - would permit leaders of the Republican-controlled Congress to claim they have taken steps to deal with the flood of illegal immigrants. It is an issue that has rent the party, spawned demonstrations in many cities last spring, and called into question the Republicans' ability to face tough issues.





"Border security is national security," said Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Rules Committee, with House GOP leaders by his side. "We're going to try our daggonest to enact as many of these bills as we can."





With little more than a week left before the Sept. 29 start of Congress's scheduled recess, GOP leaders are considering appending some or all of the bills to a must-pass spending bill before they leave town. But Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., the Appropriations Committee chairman, appeared to close off that avenue last night, saying he will not add any legislative language onto the spending bills that could slow their progress in the final days before the coming recess.





The sudden rush of activity startled immigrant and civil-rights groups, which had largely thought a legislative response on illegal immigration was dead for the year. The National Immigration Law Center sent out an "urgent" notice to allies to prod them into action, saying, "In recent days, there has been a serious deterioration of the position of pro-immigrant forces in Congress."





The legislators' embrace of a piecemeal approach came as members of a private task force on immigration repeated its belief that a comprehensive solution is necessary to solve the nation's problems with illegal immigration. The task force's plan includes strong border enforcement and a program that allows illegal immigrants already in the country to stay by paying a stiff fine.





But it also proposes that the president and Congress establish two federal organizations that would regulate the flow of immigrants and help them assimilate into society. Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., who was a co-chairman of the Migration Policy Institute task force with former Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich., said that the House's approach is too draconian against illegal immigrants, and a Senate bill approved in May is too complex.





Most of the provisions in the bills the legislators are now considering were plucked from the House's border-security and anti-illegal-immigration bill that passed in December, then prompted protests this spring that brought millions of illegal immigrants into the streets. But Republicans say that the politics of illegal immigration have shifted in favor of their get-tough approach. Even some Republicans who have backed Bush's approach, such as Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., said yesterday that the shift among voters in favor of "enforcement first" is palpable.





"While I've made it clear that I prefer a comprehensive solution, I have always said we need an enforcement-first approach to immigration reform," said Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., the majority leader, who surprised many immigration-rights activists when he took up the House border-fencing bill.





Cecilia Munoz, the vice president of the National Council of La Raza, said that Republicans "are politically playing with fire" with Hispanic voters, who gave 40 percent of their vote to Bush in 2004.





The rhetoric in the House yesterday was particularly heated, with a stream of black and Hispanic Democrats taking to the floor to denounce a voter-ID bill that they called a "modern-day poll tax" intended to disenfranchise minority, elderly and disabled voters who lean Democratic.

Are Americans finally being heard on the hill?
I want to see these passed into law,I'm tired of pre election promises.I think that the way we all vote in November will decide what if any of theses bills will become law.They are on recess now right so there will be no action taken until after the election.If we that oppose illegals don't make our votes heard loudly by those in Washington it will be the same old BS that its always been.We must send a message to the politicians that if they don't get the borders secured and ASAP that they will be among the unemployed.We hire and we can fire them.Get out the vote.I will be ferrying people that don't have a way to the poles,I will pick them up and take them home .Think about doing that in your city.We must be heard.


No amnesty


Secure our nations borders


NOW





bubba if you don't like long questions don't answer them,its a good post
Reply:Yes.
Reply:Let's see what happens in the Senate. I am particularly watching to see if the fence both passes and is FUNDED and if local law enforcement is reaffirmed as being able to enforce immigration law (something the House passed today). I also want to see what the Democrats do with the voter's ID law, but I suspect they will not let that be taken up before elections.





We'll see.





The news is good so far as it goes, though!
Reply:No, unfortunately they are just blowing smoke!
Reply:Wonderful reading, thanks





Now, I will be thrilled when we see the illegals leaving by the thousands....that will be our day of celebration.





Those on the Hill better believe that we are the ones to be heard and continue to "stun" La Raza with their actions. This isn't mexico....we do not submit to mexico...we are America!
Reply:they don't care the tax payers
Reply:First of all neither party is going to do anything before the elections because of the Hispanic vote. It is pretty sad when the people we elect to represent us are afraid of one group of people. It is sadly the Republicans who again are bowing to these people not Democrates. The Democrates do not have to bow to them because they have all ready given them everything they asked for. Also may I make a suggestion? The next time ask a question not give a commentary.
Reply:no just election year bs.congress can pass anything they want because they the senate will not.after the election both parties wil forget all about immigration
Reply:Wow. I was surprised that it was mostly republican, because I think it's the poor, disabled, etc that have to compete with the illegals for every scrap. Good to know.
Reply:Be more concise. Your question rables on and on and on and on and on and on. If it is a question. I could read the article myself if you provided the link. Blah Blah Blah
Reply:It's all about the votes.