b*****d
发帖数: 61690 | 1 Senate negotiators have clinched a deal that would double the number of
patrol agents and double the length of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border,
giving the Senate immigration reform bill a major boost.
Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) announced the agreement
Thursday afternoon and predicted it could secure the votes of as many as 15
Republicans for final passage.
The amendment is expected to cost more than $30 billion, and members of the
Gang of Eight expressed confidence it would help achieve 100 percent border
surveillance and a 90 percent apprehension rate of illegal entrants along
the southern border.
“Certainly, securing the border should not be an issue if this amendment
passes,” Corker said. “If this amendment can pass, I think it will add
tremendous momentum to the bill.”
“This is about securing the border first. To get comprehensive immigration
reform right, we’ve got to first secure the border. That’s what this
legislation does. Number one, we require a comprehensive southern border
strategic plan. We put that right in the legislation,” Hoeven said.
The Corker-Hoeven amendment would double the number of border patrol agents
from 20,000 to 40,000 and authorize the construction of 700 miles of fencing
along the southern border, twice as much as authorized in the base bill.
They plan to introduce the measure on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon.
Lawmakers were vetting details of the legislation shortly after lunchtime.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in a separate interview said it would dramatically
improve border security.
“If you look at what’s being proposed here, this is a dramatic expansion
and improvement in border security that I hope will allow finally for this
legislation to have the support it needs,” he told Fox News.
Corker and Hoeven said Rubio played an active role in negotiating the border
security amendment.
At the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, Vice President Biden
said it was "essential" for the country "to defend its borders."
“But it’s time we pass fair — firm but fair — reforms to bring these 11
million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows,” he said, according to
CNN. “The last 10 yards are by far the hardest. They really are. This is
the tough, tough time.”
The legislation would also guarantee a base level of funding for various
border security technologies, such as infrared sensors and drones.
“We took all of the ideas that Department of Homeland Security had, added
to it, put it right in the legislation so people know what it is,” Hoeven
said. “This adds to it and requires it be done and we spell it out so there
’s no confusion.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and other lawmakers had been pushing for even
tougher language, however, and it is unclear whether the new language will
bring along enough Republicans to win the bill more than 70 votes.
The Senate on Thursday voted 54-43 to table an amendment from Cornyn that
would have put in place mandatory border security triggers. Under the Cornyn
"Results" amendment, the border enforcement standards in the underlying
Gang of Eight bill would have had to be met before any immigrants could be
granted legal status.
Cornyn said he was surprised the Gang of Eight agreed to such a large
expansion of border patrol agents.
“I was told we don't need more boots, we need technology. Now I find to my
shock and amazement the distinguished senior senator from Arizona saying we
need 20,000 more border patrol,” he said on the Senate floor.
A group of conservative GOP senators held a press conference to criticize
the Corker-Hoeven plan for not requiring fully operational control of the
southern border before granting a pathway to citizenship to an estimated 8
million illegal immigrants.
“I think this amendment is designed to pass the bill, but not to fix the
bill,” said Sen. David Vitter (R-La.). “I say the amendment is designed
that way for two reasons. First of all, as has been noted, it’s all about
inputs. There’s no metric, there’s no measure of actual achievement."
Vitter argued that Washington is good at spending money but not good at
achieving results and “there’s no requirement from what we understand of
this Corker-Hoeven amendment of any results.”
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
and Mike Lee (R-Utah) also spoke out against the amendment.
Conservative policy advocacy group Heritage Action, which has repeatedly
criticized the Senate measure, said the Corker-Hoeven amendment would "fail
to solve the enforcement problems in the underlying bill."
"Heritage Action opposes any amendment that fails to take a security-first
approach, including Schumer-Corker-Hoeven, and reserves the right to include
any and all as key votes on our legislative scorecard," the group said.
Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), two members of
the Gang of Eight, have both set 70 votes as a target to build momentum in
the House, where the prospects for immigration reform are tougher. Schumer
has worked with Corker and Hoeven on the security measure.
The tentative deal did appear to win over centrist GOP Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.)
, who on Thursday said once it was adopted, he would "be proud to vote for a
bill that secures our border and respects our heritage as an immigrant
nation."
Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) also signaled his support by joining Corker and
Hoeven at a press conference.
“I’ll tell you a lot of us wouldn’t have come along if these two guys
didn’t work as hard as they did to put this package together,” said Heller
. “I’ve signed onto this amendment.”
Corker on Thursday said he thought the language would help convince House
Republicans to support the bill.
“For people who are concerned about border security, once they see what is
in this bill, it is almost overkill,” he said.
“I think if that's the issue people have, I think everyone working together
has come up with a way to deal with that issue,” Corker said on MSNBC.
“I do hope we can send it over to the House with some momentum.”
The plan does not include the biometric entry-exit system at border
crossings and airports that Republicans had hoped for, and responsibility
for designing a border security plan remains with the Department of Homeland
Security, not Congress, though the department will be required to submit
their finalized plan for approval.
The bill is also expected to include a trigger mechanism requiring the
implementation of certain border security measures before a pathway to
citizenship is made available to the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants.
That's been a key stumbling block for many Republicans, but the exact
design of the trigger remains unknown.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/306739-reports-senators-reach-tentative-deal-on-border-security-#ixzz2WnRwICir
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook | z******a
发帖数: 582 | 2 Senate CIR什么时候投票？这个星期还是下个星期？ | w******7
发帖数: 445 | 3 让senate过把瘾就死吧。
反正跟house也妥协不了，100票又能如何呢。 | H******i
发帖数: 4704 | 4 下个星期。
【在 z******a 的大作中提到】
: Senate CIR什么时候投票？这个星期还是下个星期？
| f*********f
发帖数: 14 | 5 政治本来就是妥协的艺术。Reid如果现在就在border security上向共和党妥协，到
conference时，民主党还有牌可打吗？CIR这次不是一定会通过，但是现在就说已经完
蛋还为时尚早。跳梁们就不要一惊一乍的。多些像老赫和brihand的专业分析和无私奉
献精神，既看了好戏，又长了知识。还有七表哥，你娘唤你回家吃饭。 | y**1
发帖数: 511 | 6 ＂七表哥＂lol
说的好！ 表哥整天转些不利消息。唯一的自己观点就是cir在house过不了。
Brihand 的帖子就涨知识多了！
【在 f*********f 的大作中提到】
: 政治本来就是妥协的艺术。Reid如果现在就在border security上向共和党妥协，到
: conference时，民主党还有牌可打吗？CIR这次不是一定会通过，但是现在就说已经完
: 蛋还为时尚早。跳梁们就不要一惊一乍的。多些像老赫和brihand的专业分析和无私奉
: 献精神，既看了好戏，又长了知识。还有七表哥，你娘唤你回家吃饭。
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