Last week, the Senate Gang of Eight unveiled its “comprehensive” immigration reform plan just after 2 a.m. Wednesday morning. The pro-amnesty and open borders lobbies are wasting no time in trying to ram this bill through Congress before the American people have a chance to understand the bill’s detrimental effects!
Proponents of the amnesty legislation argue they are allowing the bill to be addressed in a fair and open manner, yet they insist on holding hearings on the legislation before anyone has a chance to read the bill in its entirety.
In fact, the Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the 844-page legislation Friday morning, barely 48 hours after the Gang introduced it. Now the Senate Judiciary Committee is currently holding a second hearing on the legislation, featuring 23 witnesses—all of whom have unlikely had time to read the nearly 900-page bill either.
The Gang claims its bill is not a special path to citizenship, will secure the border, and will strengthen worksite enforcement. This is simply untrue. In reality, the bill:
- Grants amnesty (referred to as “registered provisional status” by Gang members) to illegal aliens who came to the U.S. before 2012. This will be done after the Secretary of Homeland Security merely issues PLANS to secure the border and add fencing—not actually secures the border;
- Grants an expedited path to citizenship in just five years to illegal aliens who entered the U.S. before the age of 16 and meet certain criteria regardless of their current age;
- Gives a green card in five years to illegal alien farm workers who pledge to continue working in ag for a certain period of time;
- Allows previously deported illegal aliens to apply for amnesty if they are a spouse, parent, or child of a U.S. citizen or green card holder, or entered the country unlawfully before the age of 16 and meet additional criteria;
- Grants green cards in 10 years to those given provisional status so long as the Secretary’s border security and fencing plan is “substantially” in place, E-Verify is simply “implemented” but not yet used by all employers, and an exit system is in place at only air and sea ports but not land ports of entry;
- Waives the above conditions to granting green cards to provisional amnestied aliens if one or more of the conditions are tied up in court after 10 years; and
- Grants millions of dollars to organizations to help illegal aliens submit amnesty applications.
Starting tomorrow, Organizing for Action, President Obama’s campaign arm is urging its members to call Congress to support this amnesty bill.
Don’t let their voices be the only ones your Members of Congress hear. Tell your Members you’ve had enough of the Gang of Eight’s lies. Americans need jobs and our immigration laws enforced, not more D.C. pandering to special interests!