Posted on April 7, 2006

Senators Strike out on Illegals Solution

Charles Hurt, Washington Times, April 7, 2006

After years of warning voters about the dangers posed by America’s porous borders, the Senate today voted against securing them.

All Democrats and 20 Republicans voted against considering a bill aimed solely at border security. It was the last of three immigration bills voted on in recent days and the only one that did not contain provisions that many called “amnesty.” The 36-62 vote fell 24 “ayes” short of the 60 needed to proceed.

The vote ended several weeks of serious wrangling over a deeply complicated legislative issue and capped several days of furious political maneuvering.

The vote immediately followed the major collapse of a deal that Democrats and Republicans reached yesterday. That deal came apart as Democrats refused to allow consideration of several Republican amendments, including one that would have barred U.S. citizenship for any illegal alien convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors or any illegal alien who had ignored a court order to leave the country.

“I believe there are some people who would rather have no bill,” said Sen. Mel Martinez, the Florida Republican who co-sponsored with Sen. Chuck Hagel, Nebraska Republican, a compromise that had visibly thrilled Democrats earlier in the day.

“We’re looking like we’re going to be able to dance,” Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada had enthused yesterday in an impromptu morning press conference with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee.

Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, and John McCain, Arizona Republican — the co-authors of the bill that Republicans blocked yesterday — pronounced the new compromise a victory and said in a joint statement that they were “proud” to join in support of it.

However, as the day wore on, staffers on Capitol Hill and lobbyists interested in the issue read through the 525 pages of legislation, and by late last night, leaders on both sides of the aisle told reporters they were highly doubtful that Martinez-Hagel would still be alive after a vote today.

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