Reid to Rehash 2006 Immigration Bill
by: staff - May 15, 2007 - comment
A familiar piece of legislation addressing immigration has been revived and is being slated for quick consideration in the Senate. The bill, S. 1348, largely resembles legislation passed by the Senate last year.
A separate immigration bill, which is currently under bipartisan negotiation, couples tougher border enforcement with stiffer requirements for immigrants to earn guest worker status or earn a place on a path for citizenship. That bill has yet to be introduced, but it is expected to gain broader support.
In anticipation of this new bill that is in the works, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is seeking to insure that S. 1348 will face the chamber for debate before the Memorial Day recess, providing it receives sufficient support on a procedural vote Wednesday, May 16.
If you have concerns about S. 1348 or other comments about our nation’s immigration crisis, we encourage you to contact your senators . Urge your elected officials to craft legislation that would secure U.S. borders and deal compassionately and realistically with those living in the country illegally.
Contending the Senate must wait no longer to tackle the issue of immigration, Reid apparently wants action on a measure dealing with the crisis sooner rather than later. If negotiators can’t move the new bill onto the Senate floor by midweek, the majority leader wants S. 1348 to be considered.
Reid filed a cloture motion Monday on S. 1348, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, meaning the Senate will vote May 16 whether to immediately begin debate on the bill.
Despite pressing for quicker consideration, Reid is seeing S. 1348 lose support. The 23 Republican senators who voted for the immigration bill last May have told Senate leadership they plan to oppose the bill this year.
While the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is calling on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, the entity has not supported any bill that has yet been introduced in Congress.
According to ERLC policy analysts, S. 1348 is too lenient toward illegal immigrants and does not adequately address border security, while legislation passed by the House in the 109th Congress focused almost exclusively on border security and failed to provide a realistic approach for the government to deal with the immigration crisis.
The ERLC continues to support immigration reform that would require holistic action on the part of those in the U.S. illegally and the federal government, as outlined in the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2006 resolution on immigration reform.
According to the SBC resolution, the reform would:
- Insure the federal government provides for U.S. security “by controlling and securing our borders”;
- Enforce immigration laws, including oversight of the hiring practices of private employers;
- Deal judiciously and “realistically” with those in the country illegally; and,
- Allow the people of God to act “redemptively,” reaching out to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of all immigrants as they work toward an earned pathway of “legal status and/or citizenship.”
If you have concerns about S. 1348 or other comments about our nation’s immigration crisis, we encourage you to contact your senators . Urge your elected officials to craft legislation that would secure U.S. borders and deal compassionately and realistically with those living in the country illegally.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, Immigration, Legislation, National