Nancy Dale, Ph.D. Author: June 15, 2013 - Update on Immigration action

June 15,

Newsletter

Week
of
June

This Issue: Senate action stalls on amnesty bill; Final vote likely after next weekend

After rushing to get the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill to the Senate floor, things came to a complete standstill this week. The reason - disagreements over what amendments would be offered and how many votes they would need for passage.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants all amendments to reach 60 votes for passage, but the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, only wants 51 votes. The difference of opinion is no surprise. Reid is afraid that many amendments opposed by the actual Gang of Eight would receive at least 51 votes, so he wants a higher threshold to make it more difficult to amend the bill. Grassley, on the other hand, wants the lower threshold so more amendments that he supports will pass.

The first real showdown came when Grassley himself offered an amendment that would require the Department of Homeland Security to certify that the border is secure for at least six months before proceeding with legalization and work permits for 11 million illegal aliens. Reid was forced to hold a vote to block the amendment from coming to the floor since Grassley insisted on requiring only 50 votes for its passage.

The back-and-forth eventually led to Reid pulling the amnesty bill off the floor, so the Senate could proceed with other business.

Reid plans to bring the bill back to the floor on Monday, but the bulk of the debate and amendment votes might come during a marathon session next weekend. He announced that he'll keep the Senate in Washington all next weekend to ensure a final vote on the bill before the July 4th recess. We think a vote is most likely to come between June 24-26.

HOUSE TO BEGIN WORK ON IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION NEXT WEEK

On the other side of Congress, the House Judiciary Committee will begin its work next week on making changes to the immigration system. They'll start by marking up two different bills aimed at improving interior enforcement and fixing the ag guest worker program.

The SAFE Act, H.R. 2278, introduced by Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy would strengthen interior enforcement and boost national security. The bill would allow local police to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws and provide needed resources to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Ag Act, H.R. 1773, introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte would remove the red tape and other hinderances within the farm guest worker program making it easier for farmers to satisfy their labor needs.

We'll continue to closely monitor the progress of these two bills.

Thanks to everyone who made calls earlier this week! We had a tremendous response, and many Senators have taken stronger positions on the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill as a result of your activism. We still have a lot more work to do, however, so be on the lookout for more action opportunities next week.

chris Chmielenski

Sat, June 15^th

Action

Depending on how your Senators voted earlier this week, several new faxes have been posted to your Action Board. Also, if we become aware of any local activism opportunities in your area, we'll be posting meeting notes to your Board.

Features

On Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) defended America's unemployed, particularly minority Americans and young Americans, on the Senate floor. Sen. Sanders said the Gang of Eight's bill would import thousands of foreign workers to compete with low-skilled Americans and said the bill does nothing to ensure Americans get the first shot at jobs in the service industry. Take a look at Sen. Sanders' floor speech.

Account

There's an App for that! Our new mobile app is now available for both Android and iPhone users. From the new app, you can send messages to elected officials by fax, sign immigration petitions, make one-click calls to Congress, read the latest news and blogs from NumbersUSA.com, and help recruit new activists through "Five Ways Immigration Impacts You" feature. Download today at the Google Play Store or the Apple Store!

Sen. Grassley Offers Border Security Amendment to Schumer-Rubio-Obama Amnesty Bill; Senate Votes to Table the Amendment

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) offered the first amendment for consideration during full Senate debate of the Schumer-Rubio-Obama Amnesty bill, S.744. His amendment would require certification that the border is fully secured before any of the 11 million illegal aliens would be eligible to receive legal status and work permits. Instead of holding an up or down vote on the amendment, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid motioned this morning to table the amendment. The motion passed by a 57-to-43 margin split mostly along party lines.

thu, June 13^th

Rep. Steve King Threatens to Block Amnesty Bill in House

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said that he plans to force a GOP conference should House Leadership decide to move forward on an unpopular amnesty bill in the House of Representatives. Under caucus rules, any Member can can force a closed-door session if he can gather 50 signatures. The session would force a caucus vote on the bill in question, and Leadership is supposed to follow the will of the caucus.

tue, June 1^th

wed, June 12^th

ICE Union President Tells Sens. Cornyn and Rubio that S.744 Weakens Interior Enforcement

In a letter to Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), ICE Union President Chris Crane says the Gang of Eight's bill, S.744, is flawed because it places "new restrictions on interior enforcement." Crane writes that the bill would make the current situation worse and more hazardous and urges them to reject S.744 and instead focus on Rep. Trey Gowdy's (R-S.C.) interior enforcement bill and Rep. John Barrow's (D-Ga.) border security and interior enforcement legislation introduced in the House.

thu, June 13^th

Georgia Officials Urge Their Senators to Oppose Comprehensive Amnesty Bill

A number of influential Georgia State Senators wrote their U.S. Senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, to urge a no vote on the Senate comprehensive amnesty bill -- S. 744. The letter said, "(w)hile we undoubtedly need to address the complex issue of immigration reform, we must ensure we're doing what's right for all Americans, especially the people of Georgia."

tue, June 11^th

State Legislators Urge Senators to Reject Gang of Eights Amnesty Plan

State Legislators for Legal Immigration, a group comprised legislators from 38 states, urged Members of the U.S. Senate to reject S. 744, the comprehensive amnesty bill. Penn. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the founder of SLLI, wrote Senators on behalf of the group saying, "Simply put, states cannot afford to bear the additional budgetary burdens of amnesty through S.744...Congressional amnesty has not worked in the past and history is doomed to repeat itself here."