“La Casa Blanca ha fallado hasta el momento al no convencer a los republicanos del Senado a que apoyen una reforma migratoria fuerte, justa y práctica. Yo traeré el proyecto de ley de inmigración devuelta al pleno del Senado enseguida que hayan suficientes republicanos dispuestos a unirse a nosotros para adelantar un proyecto de ley que arregle nuestro sistema roto de inmigración.”

SENADO REGRESARÁ AL TEMA DE INMIGRACIÓN CUANDO LOS Senadores MUESTREN MAYOR COMPROMISO CON soluciones en ves de obstrucciones 

El Líder de la Mayoría del Senado hizo las siguientes declaraciones en respuesta al mensaje radial del Presidente Bush, en el que urgió al Senado a volver traer el proyecto de ley de inmigración al pleno: 

 President Bush was unable to convince enough members of his own party to support moving forward on legislation that would secure our borders and bring the 12 million undocumented immigrants already in this country out of the shadows. 

“President Bush suffered a devastating setback.”  on his top domestic priority on Thursday as a broad immigration bill collapsed in the Senate amid an irreconcilable partisan standoff.  The 627-page bill was taken off the Senate floor at the end of a bitterly contentious day that saw the bill's sponsors desperately trying to resolve differences between Democrats and Republicans over GOP demands to offer additional amendments.” (McClatchy, 6/7/07)  

Republicans handed the President a “major legislative setback.”  “White House-backed bill to revamp U.S. immigration laws stalled in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, handing President George W. Bush a major legislative setback. The sharply divided Senate refused to limit debate on the fragile compromise hammered out by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House. The vote was 45-50, 15 short of the 60 votes needed to advance significant legislation in the 100-member body toward a final vote.”  (Reuters, 6/8/07)

The vote was a “heavy blow to President Bush.” “The Senate last night scuttled a sweeping immigration overhaul measure that would have tightened border security while legalizing 12 million undocumented immigrants, delivering a heavy blow to President Bush and greatly diminishing the chances of resolving the politically loaded issue before the 2008 elections. The bill -- the product of painstaking and unusually bipartisan negotiations among senators and the White House -- failed to survive two efforts yesterday to cut off debate and force an up-or-down vote on the overall bill.” (The Boston Globe, 06/08/07 )

Failure of the bill can be traced “an increasingly weakened president and a White House team.” “The defeat of the legislation can be laid at the doorstep of opponents on the right and left, on congressional leaders who couldn't move their troops and on an increasingly weakened president and his White House team.” (The Washington Post, 06/08/07) 

The President’s immigration plan was killed by his fellow Republicans in the Senate.  “A broad immigration bill to legalize millions of people in the U.S. unlawfully suffered a stunning setback in the Senate Thursday, costing President Bush perhaps his best opportunity to win a top domestic priority. The bipartisan compromise championed by the president failed a crucial test when it could not attract even a simple majority for an effort to speed its passage.” (AP, 6/8/07)

The President’s endorsement was not good enough to convince Republicans to support his chief domestic priority.  “The sweeping immigration overhaul endorsed by President Bush crumbled in the Senate on Thursday night, leaving the future of one of the administration’s chief domestic priorities in serious doubt.” (The New York Times, 06/08/07) 

Senate Republicans Admit They Sank the Immigration Bill

Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) was “trying to kill it since the beginning.”  “‘I've been trying to kill it since the beginning,’” said Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.)” 

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott accused his fellow Republicans of killing the bill.  “‘I've about had it,’ declared Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.). ‘I will not be a part of a protracted filibuster. We are not going to let this bill die by endless amendments.’” (Washington Post, 6/7/07)

Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) said Republicans were “wronger”.  “The Democrats were wrong” to cut off debate so quickly. . . “but Republicans were wronger.” (Washington Post, 6/7/07)

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) admits his goal was derailing the legislation. “If it hursts the bill, I’m for it,” DeMint explained matter-of-factly. But weakening the guest-worker program would leave the bill in tatters -- and in the twisted logic of the Senate, that served DeMint's greater goal of derailing the legislation. "If it hurts the bill, I'm for it," DeMint explained matter-of-factly. (Washington Post 6/8/07)

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott is “ashamed” his party was trying to kill the bill. "I'm embarrassed to say they were trying to kill the bill, and I'm ashamed of it," Republican Whip Trent Lott (Miss.) said of DeMint and his associates. He fumed that the senators had voted against their principles and on an amendment offered by Democrats, no less. (Washington Post 6/8/07)

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said this bill is “unworthy of the Senate.”  “I will tell you, and I will say it plainly, and others may not, but this legislation fails miserably in that regard. It is unworthy of the Senate. It should never pass, it should never become the law of the United States of America. It does not meet our highest ideals. It does not create a system that is consistent with the national interests of the United States.” (Floor Statement, 5/19/07) 

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) accused the underlying bill of providing amnesty.  “If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different outcome, the provisions in the underlying bill that my amendment will correct represents insanity in action because it repeats a mistake made in the 1986 immigration laws that is within our power to correct.” (Floor Statement, 6/6/07)

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) said this bill provides “amnesty.”  “The American people have been demanding that their elected officials take action to limit illegal immigration first by securing our borders, then by addressing guest worker reform. Unfortunately, this bill reversed those priorities. Rewarding illegal immigrants with amnesty without taking adequate steps to secure our borders is the wrong way to address this problem.” (Press Release, 5/25/07) 

Senator David Vitter (R-LA) called the bill “amnesty pure and simple.”  “‘In my opinion and in the opinion of many Americans, this is amnesty pure and simple,’ said Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), the amendment's sponsor. He argued that the immigration bill repeats the errors in the 1986 immigration reform ‘when we did amnesty but not enough enforcement...’” (LA Times, 5/25/07)

Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) said she opposes the bill because it provides “amnesty.”  “I recognize that immigration reform is urgently needed, but I cannot support the current bill considered in the Senate because it creates a new path to citizenship for those here illegally.” (Charlotte Observer, 6/1/07) 

Senator John Thune (R-ND) said that without his amendment, the bill is “unacceptable.”  “‘The immigration bill before the Senate is unacceptable as it stands. Of the many flawed provisions, the most glaring is the failure to make securing our borders the first priority,’ Thune said. ‘Despite what proponents of the bill say, the bill in its current form would give illegal aliens immediate legal status before any further border security measures are deployed.’” (Press Release, 6/5/07)

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) opposes the bill because it still contains “amnesty.”  “I want to have the opportunity to introduce an amendment that would take the amnesty out of this bill. I could never vote for cloture until we have the opportunity to address the amnesty issue.” (Press Release, 6/7/07) 

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) said that any Senator who supports this should “wear a scarlet ‘A’ for Amnesty.”   “‘Let me respond to that absurd statement by stating clearly: You cannot simultaneously tear down and rebuild one of our constitutional principles,’ he said. ‘I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. The price for amnesty is the sacrifice of the rule of law. Each one of these senators should wear a scarlet letter 'A' for amnesty.’”  (Washington Times, 5/21/07)

Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) said this plan destroys our sovereignty.  “It is a destruction of our sovereignty.”  (The Albuquerque Tribune, 5/18/07) 

Rep. Brian P. Bilbray (R-CA) said the Senate would “reward illegal behavior.”   “The compromise ... will reward 12 million illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship -- what part of 'illegal' does the Senate not understand?...Any plan that rewards illegal behavior is amnesty…You would think the Senate would have learned their lesson after the 1986 amnesty debacle, but it looks like their idea of a compromise is to repeat the failed policies of the past.”  (Washington Times, 5/21/07)

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) believes that granting citizenship to any illegal immigrant is amnesty.  “The American people aren't demanding amnesty. They are demanding border security…We need border security, but we don't need amnesty to secure the border. Just because someone is in the country illegally doesn't mean we have to give them citizenship, the greatest honor our country can bestow.”  (Washington Times, 5/21/07) 

Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY) said this plan rewards lawbreakers.  “Granting amnesty would reward lawbreakers and legalize scores of criminals and terror suspects that are currently here illegally, making it that much easier for them to operate within our society undetected…In reality, the Senate's amnesty proposal will only serve to weaken the security of our homeland, and I strongly oppose the measure…A country which cannot control its borders loses control of its destiny.”  (Washington Times, 5/21/07)

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.VA) said that the Senate plan grants amnesty.  “Aside from granting amnesty, I have serious concerns about the scope of the guest worker program and the lack of emphasis that is put on increasing security at our borders…Flooding our country with millions of low-wage immigrant workers could hurt wages and put even more pressure on American workers. The pressure should be put on our borders -- on those who every day are breaking our laws and sneaking into our country -- not on American workers.”  (Charleston Daily Mail, 5/21/07) 

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) said the Senate bill would “bankrupt our government services in the name of amnesty.”  “[Citizenship is a] precious commodity, and we need to ensure that our immigration laws benefit the American public and our economy, not bankrupt our government services in the name of amnesty.” (Washington Times, 5/21/07)

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) said that her Senate colleagues are “tone-deaf”  “She knew Democratic Sens. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Harry Reid of Nevada were ‘tone deaf when they proposed opening our borders and granting illegal immigrants amnesty,’ but did not know ‘Senate Republicans would follow their misguided lead.”  (Washington Times, 5/21/07)