Tuesday, July 18, 2006

House Hearings

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform were in DC this morning to attend the stall and delay hearing set up by the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims Oversight.

As you may know, the House passed an unenforceable-enforcement only bill (HR 4437) on border security back in December 2005. The House Bill does nothing about the 12 million (50,000 Irish) undocumented already living in the United States. In May 2006, the Senate passed a Bill (2611) that provides for border security and comprehensive immigration reform.

House Know-Nothings refused to enter conference committee with the Senate and anounced hearings to stall and delay immigration reform and give themselves a forum for one-sided debate.

The title of today's hearing, subtle as a sledgehammer, makes clear that these hearings are nothing more than a chance to talk tough about border security without really doing anything.

The stacked witness list describes grass roots organizations and neutral bi-partisan think tanks, but the folks who show up to testify are anti-immigration advocacy groups with grassroots as real as astroturf.

Congressman Sylvestre Reyes (D-TX), stood up and said there was a need for LESS TALK and MORE ACTION. Among other things, he saids, "In the nearly five years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there have been countless investigations, hearings, and reports about how to secure our borders and curb illegal immigration, but far too little in the way of meaningful measures to keep America safe. The time for talk about these issues has long since passed and the moment for action is now. Instead of numerous hearings that may make good politics but do little to advance sound policy, Congress needs to reach a compromise agreement on comprehensive border security and immigration reform legislation."

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform will not be deterred by harsh rhetoric and delay tactics.

At the end of summer, House Know-Nothings will know one thing: Irish-America, the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, and the 50,000 undocumented Irish in this country are not going away. However, we ar going to the hearings.

ILIR delegates will continue to attend each House and Senate hearing this summer to demonstrate the strength of our community's resolve and determination to bring about comprehensive immigration reform legislation that provides a chance for the undocumented Irish to earn their way to legalized status.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, you mean "Should We Embrace the Senate's Grant of Amnesty to Millions of Illegal Aliens and Repeat the Mistakes of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986?". Good topic, and it raises the tough question. Which leads into another question: "Should the US continue to be an open society? Are the hassles and headaches really worth it?"

We might as well give HR4437 a shot. How do you know it's unenforceable, unless you try and enforce it?

Anonymous said...

The house bill will do a lot of things for America
1. The fence they want to build will make it harder to get in here.So the gangs of thugs on the boarder will charge the people they smuggel 10 times more money and become very rich
2. It will become harder to smuggle drugs in the price will rise and the afghan heroin dealers get more money to fund terrorism and attack America
3. The American taxpayers get the joy of paying for this
4. Boarder gaurds spend the time trying to catch people who want to work and help this country and dont have time to catch drug dealers and terrorists
5.I just want to say great job peter king and your supports in the house ,you shouldent be let mind a hen house

Anonymous said...

OK Where do these IRISH People get the Enegry ? Its something i have never seen before for the last three weeks i have met the same faces in Washington,This is Superhuman anyone that is commited to rolling out of their bed in New York in the early hours of the morning to travel week after week to The Capitol and be so Professional and intrested in getting Green Cards for their fellow IRISH men and women should be legal a long time ago. I see these people and wonder what kind of battries they opperate on as i would not be able too, Then again I am a lot older in my 80s I love to see the IRISH fighting for what we all in America beleive "YOU GUY'S ARE THE HEART AND SOUL OF AMERICA SO LEGALISE THEM ALL I LOVE YOU ALL KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK SEE YOU ALL AGAIN I THINK IN EIRE THEY SAY SLAINTA ! Best wishes Maggie xoxo

Anonymous said...

tomas;
1. The fence they want to build will make it harder to get in here.So the gangs of thugs on the boarder will charge the people they smuggel 10 times more money and become very rich
##And because the price will be so high, fewer aliens will make the crossing.
2. It will become harder to smuggle drugs in the price will rise and the afghan heroin dealers get more money to fund terrorism and attack America
##Again - drug prices rise, so fewer people use drugs.
3. The American taxpayers get the joy of paying for this
## we're already paying for the Iraq war; these expenditures are a 'drop in the bucket' in comparison. Al least it's for defending our country, and not somebody else's.
4. Boarder gaurds spend the time trying to catch people who want to work and help this country and dont have time to catch drug dealers and terrorists
##are you trying to tell me there are human 'angels' and mother Theresas crossing our borders who only want to help us, and do things for us, just because we are God's chosen people or something? I think not.
5.I just want to say great job peter king and your supports in the house ,you shouldent be let mind a hen house
##Great job Peter King, Steve King, Jim Sessenbrenner, et.al.

Anonymous said...

Dear chuck
cop on a small bit please
1.people are willing to risk their lives to get here of course theyll pay more money ,this is their only chance the numbers will stay the same because the work is here,but the high price will decrease the value of life too much to lose
2. Drug addicts will have to find more money more robberys of homes
cars people getting muged etc ,etc
Smokers cant even stop what chance has a junckie by the way drugs are all ready illegal and that hasent helped much
3. America is in alot of death because of the war, make that bigger great plan.
Why not move retirement
age to 105 then we can use that money only about 2 of the 70 million baby boomers will make it
to retirement age
At a hearing in washington yesterday a boarder cheif said the fence would not and dose not work but what would he know chuck it just his job
4. The people crossing if given visas can help get us out of death
trough taxes and help boost our
economy.
5.Chuck and Peter king shouldent be let mind a hen house