Senator Joe Lieberman: Lieberman Statement on Immigration Reform Agreement
WASHINGTON -Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) issued the following statement on the Immigration Reform agreement reached yesterday:

“The bi-partisan compromise on immigration reform legislation represents an important first step forward in addressing a serious national problem. It is long past time that we reform our immigration system in order to secure our borders, enforce our immigration laws, and provide a path to earned legalization for the millions of immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years, held jobs, paid taxes, and contributed to our communities. The bill also promotes economic opportunity, and Connecticut and the nation would specifically benefit from provisions which would provide more access for employers to highly skilled workers who are needed to fuel economic growth. I understand that there are concerns about elements of this compromise. Working together across party lines we can make this good first step into an even better bill.”

I was reading Senator Lieberman’s position on the Immigration bill and heard some talk that he is very upset with the Democrats. Eventhough he’s a Democrat, he did loose his primary run, but won as an Independent. However, when he went to Washington he still stayed on as a Democrat. Could Lieberman switch over to the Republicans? Would this not give power to the Senate back to the Republicans?

As a conservative I have to say that I would seriously consider voting for him - he’s that much of a statesmen. As for his immigration stance, I think he and alot of the politians will find that over this Memorial Day holiday weekend they will get ALOT of negative press.

Seems to me that McCain is getting alot of negative press - we’ll see once the poll numbers come in, but I suspect that he will loose at least 4-5% of his support.

The bill, as it is currently written, will allow family members to also apply for Amnesty. So the 12-25 million here could invite their family members not yet in the United States, thus giving amnesty to 25-80 million more people.

When these new immigrants get the new ‘Z’ visa, they will automatically be allowed all social services natralized American citizens are afforded. The Heritage Foundation estimates that the average illegal immigrants currently makes about $25,000-$30,000 a year. They use, on average, $10,000 of services they estimate. When the illegal immigrants get the new visa they will start paying taxes, but that is only $1,500-$2,000 an additional per year (primiarly from income taxes). Therefore the new immigrants will still be using a disproportionate amount of social services. They estimate, over 20 years, that these new immigrants will cost the American tax payer over $2 trillion.

When so many new people are added to a country, it does not give them enough time to acclimate to that country, thus the country changes from its own values to that these news immigrants.

• Healthcare (Medicare, Emergency Rooms closings)
• Social Services (Social Security, Welfare)
• Education (costs of schools, English-as-a-second Language classes)
• ‘Anchor Babies’ (14-year-olds having babies)
• Criminal (32% of all violent crime is done by illegals)
• Employment (H-1B visa depress American wages in that field, Low-skilled Americans have a harder time getting a job)
• Policial (66% of new immigrants vote Democrat)

My father came legally here in 1970 when he was 16 and my mom legally in 1971 when she was 14. In 1972 my father joined the military and became a citizen in 1975. My mom became a citizen in 1982.

As a 1st generation American I can say that controlled legal immigration is good for our country.

Our priorties should be:

1. Control the physical border (fences, drones, Border Patrol agents)
2. National Identification Card (national database for employee status verification)
3. Employeer Enforcement (once the National ID is in place, enforce existing laws)
4. Visa Enforcement (arrest Visa violators - some of the hijackers of 9/11 did this)
5. Change the Constitution (do not allow children of illegal immigrants to become legal citizens, but DO allow them to apply when they turn 18)

Source: Washington Post

All illegal immigrants who arrived before Jan. 1, 2007, could stay and work after paying a $1,500 fee, passing a criminal background check, and showing a strong work record.

They would also have to pay a fine of $5,000.

After eight years, they could apply for a green card.

A new visa category would be created for parents of U.S. citizens, allowing them to visit for up to 100 days per year.

A temporary-worker program would allow 400,000 immigrant workers to enter on two-year visas, after which they would have to return home for a year before reapplying. The visas could be renewed up to three times.

A new point system would add factors for green-card eligibility to lessen the “chain migration” of family members.

The Border Patrol and interior enforcement would be expanded, and a new security perimeter would be created. Such border enforcement provisions would have to be implemented before immigrant-rights measures take effect.

President Bush is looking forward to signing the deal that senators from <b><u>both parties </u></b>and members of his administration reached on comprehensive immigration reform, according to Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff.

The negotiators reached agreement Thursday and members from both parties agreed that the compromise is a good bill and lauded the process of crafting it.

“This is what my ninth grade teacher told me government is all about and I finally got to experience it,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

The deal would strengthen the borders while also giving legal status to millions of illegal immigrants already in the country.

“If I get deported and need to cross the border again, that’s not a problem,” he said. Source: Illegals Immigrants not happy.