Progress on Comprehensive Amnesty Plan Elusive
The labeling of Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Tex.) border security amendment as a “poison pill” has prompted Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) to work with Republican members of the Gang of Eight to develop a related amendment. Details are not available but the media report the amendment does not delay the initial legalization but would establish “objective metrics” that determine when illegal aliens can acquire green cards, the first step toward citizenship.
Cornyn’s amendment would require total "situational awareness" of the border and a 90 percent apprehension rate of border-crossers before Registered Provisional Immigrant status holders could begin to apply for green cards. It also would require certain measures such as E-Verify and an entry/exit system to be “in place” but not necessarily used.
Hoeven said, "We'll put that right in the bill, saying that you've got to put all that in place at a minimum, and then for all of the people that try to come across that these various technologies detect, you have to turn back or capture 90 percent. And only at that point can you go to make the transition to green card from RPI." The Department of Defense in consultation with the comptroller general, the Government Accountability Office, and the Department of Homeland Security would have to certify the metrics had been met.
Like the Cornyn amendment, the Corker-Hoeven is under criticism from pro-amnesty groups. Frank Sharry, the executive director of America's Voice, said, “We recognize the desire for a border-security amendment to bring out Republican votes, but a hard trigger that threatens the path to citizenship isn't' going to fly."
In the meantime the AFL-CIO is lobbying Senators to retain labor protections for foreign workers and ensure that illegal aliens can still attain citizenship. They oppose additional barriers for legalization, denying immigrants federal benefits, and changing the new guest-worker program negotiated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The AFL-CIO said it would try to reinstate the original agreement on H-1B workers, which was amended in committee to satisfy Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and the high-tech special interest groups. The union also will oppose a package of other amendments Hatch will offer that deal with back taxes and federal benefits.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that disagreements over amendments may force him to keep the Senate in session over the coming weekend. He also threatened to file cloture – i.e., to cut off debate on the bill – at some point between Friday and Monday if parties could not reach agreement on which additional amendments would get votes.
Read here for more on the Corker-Hoeven amendment. See this article for more on the AFL-CIO’s demands. And read this for details on Sen. Reid’s plans.