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AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, accompanied by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., speaks about financial reform, Wednesday, April 28, 2010, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Reid is one of three senators calling for more federal enforcement agents and other border security-tightening benchmarks.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | 1:57 p.m.
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WASHINGTON -- An emerging immigration proposal by three Democratic senators calls for more federal enforcement agents and other border security-tightening benchmarks before illegal immigrants could become legal U.S. residents.
Those goals "must be met before action can be taken to adjust the status of people already in the United States illegally," according to a copy of the draft legislation, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, that Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada, Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez are developing.
The benchmarks include additional Border Patrol officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to combat smuggling; more ICE inspectors at work sites; an increased number of ICE officers assigned to detect fraudulent documents, and better ways to determine fakes; more personnel to check for contraband at ports of entry; additional resources to prosecute drug and human smugglers and illegal border crossers, and for deportations.
An outline of the proposal does not specify the additional agents or resources required to meet the benchmarks. It does suggest a two-phase system for legalizing people who are in the U.S. illegally.
Before the benchmarks are met, the Department of Homeland Security could begin registering, fingerprinting and screening illegal immigrants, and considering them for an interim legal status. That would allow them to work in the U.S. and travel outside it.
Such immigrants could start applying for legal permanent residence, eight years after backlogs of visas for people coming to the U.S. legally have been cleared and after the security benchmarks are met. They also must show they have basic citizenship and English skills, have paid all taxes, fees and civil penalties and registered for the military draft.
Arizona's new strict immigration law has led to renewed demands for Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. Reid, the Senate's majority leader, recently said he is committed to taking up immigration this election year, but also backed away from a possibility of addressing the divisive issue before climate change.
Spokesmen for the three senators declined comment.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has worked with Schumer on an immigration bill, has balked at moving ahead this year. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Graham, R-S.C., said drug violence along the border with Mexico is evidence that the border is not secure. He said immigration reform would crash and burn if brought up this year.
Democrats have failed so far to get a second Republican to join Graham in writing the bipartisan immigration bill. The outline of the immigration proposal issued Wednesday is an attempt to persuade some Republicans to change their mind.
A 10-point border security plan by Arizona Republican Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl this month also called for increases in border and immigration personnel and equipment.
Harry Reid should "call home" before he "calls" for anything. He is pushing for amnesty for law breakers, we have to push him back to Searchlight!!!!
I agree we need to tighten up the border. But what we must remember is that most of the illegals who cross, just want a better life for themselves and their children. I know they broke the law, but they are humans with hopes and dreams and people who love them just like everyone else. I believe we tighten the border then give these people a path to citizenship which includes learning english and learning the laws of this country.
But once the borders are tightened lets get these people documented and get some tax revenue from them so they can help support the services that they use.
"It does suggest a two-phase system for legalizing people who are in the U.S. illegally."
You cannot reward illegal activities...period.
Complex problem, lots of simplistic answers, both jack booted right wingers, and fuzzy headed liberals. Hey, can't we all get along? I think there should be open borders so US citizens may have the right to move to Mexico and starve. How about it - some of us are going to Phoenix with shirts that say that my forebears were undocumented Germans - arrest me! Let's go! Oh, on the back of the shirt it will say don't have my documents either - waddaya gonna do about it! Huh, buddy!
And doing nothing will solve the problem!!!
Most of the illegal aliens have a "Can do" or perhaps "Have to" spirit to try to improve their lives.
Maybe we would be doing the Western Hemisphere a tremendous service by making these productive people stay in their own countries and improve their own communities, states, and countries. You like the living conditions in the United States? Make your countries more like us.
If they illegally immigrate here because there are no jobs back home, we are in a death spiral. The United States have plenty of people that need starter jobs and regular labor jobs.
Mexico is having a minor civil war on the border. We should stop supporting those worthless people in Afghanistan, bring our guys home and help out in Mexico. You can't blame Arizona for being annoyed that the US Government is doing nothing about the war across her border.
And bringing up the fact that we are all immigrants except Native Americans is BS. We learn from history, we don't use it for tit-for-tat with what we have to do.
Come up with a sane policy that helps out Americans first. Do it now. Lets not wait for chaos and a humanitarian disaster.
Phase 1 is okay as far as it goes. Phase 2 was worded wrong. It should have read "Phase 2 - deport anyone still here illegally."
Reid, NO AMNESTY!
For everybody out there there is a show on tv named AMERICA on the history channel!!!
Everyone is an "illegal immigrant"?
HOGWASH.
Even the Indians walked a land bridge from Siberia to North America 60,000 years ago and became the first "illegals" to this side of the world. That liberal "all are illegal" except Indians sewage is spewed by idiot/retarded teachers in school. I never did have much faith in what they were trying to do to kids who fell for all they said. There's 2 sides to all debates, and you have to be smart enough to separate the fodder from the oats. Pinko Reid is trying to lock the barn with the animals in it and him setting fire to it, with his latest proposal. I say deport them all, start over again.
Is area 51 part of the United States?
"Before illegal immigrants could become legal U.S. residents?" You've got to be kidding! How incriminating!
Reid is just looking for a Voters base. That's all.
Let em pour in, who needs law and order!
Remember, George Bush administration prosecuted two border agents for shooting and wounding an illegal who was running drugs. Those agents went to prison. Don't blame this on Reid, Pelosi, Obama or anyone else. Republicans had 8 years to tighten the border. They didn't do it because business told them they needed cheap labor (your jobs). Wake up, people. Use your minds, or what little is left of them.
Hey Harry:
None of these measures you propose would have prevented the gun toting illegal alien from killing the rancher in Douglas, AZ while he was standing in his own horse corral.
None of these measures you propose would allow our family to safely camp on our land between Tubac and Patagonia, AZ, where the Border Patrol warned us, as WASP Americans, to "get out and stay out" because the criminals traveling in Southern Arizona consider us to be trespassing in "their territory". The Border Patrol literally told us we were likely to be killed while camping on land our family owns.
Harry, we need a concrete wall 12' high, with razor wire, just like the old Berlin Wall. It needs to run from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. And the U.S. side of the wall needs to be patrolled by the U.S. military, carrying fire arms which they will use when someone tries to come across that border.
Harry, its clear you and Obama don't want to recognize that a prolonged civil war has broken out on our southern border; there is no end in sight; and the war is spilling over into U.S. territory with Americans being killed. That is the reality.
And if you don't believe it, ask the senior citizens still around, who as kids lived in the Austrian province of Galicia, when the Russian Revolution broke out on their border in 1917. Lots of innocent Austrian citizens were dead by 1920. Harry, nothing ever changes in these sorts of circumstances.
I am looking forward to a significant change in the make up of the Congress in 2010, to be followed by further significant change in 2012 so that Americans are represented and governed by realistic people, not by people who want to stick their heads in the sand in terms of recognizing reality.
Harry just lost even more of the unafilliated voters, and therefore lost the election. It's not that the voters will be voting for the Republican candidate, but rather the independents simply won't take a chance on allowing Reid back in to grant amnesty. They will turn out in droves to vote against Harry.
He has energized a base okay, just not the one he thought he would.
If congress isn't able [or willing] to address the issue of EDUCATED WEALTHY BUSINESS OWNERS hiring and underpaying these illegal migrants there will be no sense in enacting a law to control the border.
If the middle class in America doesn't wake up to this action by the big business's they [the middle class] will soon join the lower class of the third world.
Good luck with that!
How long has Reid been in office,the lite just came on.He just wants your vote,we will not fall for lies anymore.
VOTE FOR TRUTH.
Dont forget one of our founders main complaints was how difficult the King of Brittain made it for people to immigrate to the US
The loony right is grabbing for straws.
Will it be long before crazysue starts calling for all Mexican-born chickens to be deported because they're just not good enough to be bartered?
While suzy, littletark and all the other wannabes scream from the sidelines Sen. Reid is in the game, leading the charge to repair eight years of Bush damage. Now the goal of all baggers is make Obama and Reid fail too. It won't work.
My oh MY, ALL OF A SUDDEN, Harry is worried about Illegals. Was he worried when he supported Obama care, or Cap and Tax, or just spending our money like crazy. This man NEEDS TO GO.
Remember all the Dems think that every Illegal is a future Democratic Voter
One more reason to vote for anyone but Harry.
I told you so..That Arizona law is not only Constitutional but it is Federal Statute.
Harry is waving the white flag...IF that law were not rock solid he would be walking around championing the poor pitiful foriegn nationals..and blathering about "racist right wing radicals"
There are few things the left and right agree on.
But on the presidency of George W. Bush everyone, liberal and conservative, Democrat and republican, agree that Bush was a miserable failure of epic, historic, unequaled proportion.
Which brings us to immigration. Bush was in office eight years (Jan 2001-Jan 2009) and had a republican Congress to work with for six of those eight years (2001-Jan 2007) but did NOTHING (zero, zilch, nada) to address the immigration problem.
Now they want Mexican scalps to hang beside their teabags.
Losers and hypocrites.
dippy, I missed your comment. Was it a good one???
The man makes sense to me... If we don't let highly financed propiganda (from the far right) distract us from the issues, then we can keep supporting the sensible people in office (like Harry Reid and Obama). If vigilanty actions have to step up to protect the citizens of this country, then prosicution of our FORMER leaders is in order.
guyhill, Reid and Obama are as Un-American as one can get. If they did, they would adhere to the oath of the office they have taken.
Forget the labels; I'm an American.
It's pretty easy to look back and make judgments. The dismantling of our military took place before Pres. Bush's term. The loosening of financial regulations also before his term began. WMD's, congress bought that hook line and sinker along with a lot of us. Water boarding or enhanced interrogation, same thing, they knew. Pres. Bush was adamant that Freddie and Fannie needed attention, did they listen? Nope, too busy fighting in congress, just like they are now. I certainly do not remember Pres. Bush riling up the constituents to the extent our current Pres. Obama has.
How are we going to patrol federal lands (90% of NV) where campers in trailers vacation in peace and quiet on the vast desert?
Jose and Pedro will become pirates of the desert, nomads on the lam.
It's hard to imagine any sane American being against the new law in Arizona. Illegal immigration has been very damaging to this country and both political parties are to blame. Ted Kennedy and his immigration legislation should be blamed for a great deal of it.
Bodytalk, well written. There's enough blame to go around. While BOTH Parties were pacifying their Lobbiest, this has been ongoing. Hopefully the polls will show those who were asleep at the helm (the Silent Majority) this smooth talking Con, we call a President, is taking advantage of the opposition we're facing now in AZ because they need voters. We're learning fast that this President who depicts a fast talker on a street corner trying to sell a Rolex has only Timex movements.
And the biggest electrified border fence money can buy. Look at the jobs for Americans we can create.
why do they call racist asking for somebodys documents? they ask for your id when you are going to look at a apartment! one good example! why would it be discriminating if u go to italy and u are 1 of 10.000.00 americans illegally. If those are their laws u have to respect them and if u dont like them then guess what? get out of there its not your country. And by the way that singer shakira is just joining against 1070 because she wants to get richer!!
I believed most americans forget that all of their ancestors were from foreign country, not from america. Then, as they are now completely settled up to their grandsons and granddaughters, they don't want nobody no more to come to america legal or illegal. Mind you if all mexicans, asians, and european would all go home what will be left here in america? it would be land of the freeze.
Maybe immigration will be the ticket for Harry Rrid...
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Nevada shows Harry Reid earning 39% to 41% support of Nevada vote3rs.
Sue Lowden earns 52% of the vote to Reid's 39%.
So I guess that Harry did not get a bump out of his chicken attacks against Sue Lowden...
Dirty Harry has been in the US Senate since 1986 and has done NOTHING about border security. He now wants us to listen to him. This jerk needs to go away.
What about people overstaying visas? That is a bigger problem than people cross border illegally. Both Reid and Ensign are against tighter controls on tourist Visas.
All my ancestors came here LEGALLY, maybe yours did not.
Locking up the barn with unwanted animals just ain't gonna work, Pinko Harry. Deport. Deport. Deport.
A memo to Harry Reid; Janet Napolitano says everthing on the Mexican border is just fine.
The Democrats dirty little secret, put the 12 million illegals in the new Healthcare bill.