Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings on Comprehensive Immigration Reform:

The Voice of America reports that the Bush Administration is urging Congress to enact immigration reform.

Other sources report that the Senate is holding hearings to urge President Bush demonstrate his committment for comprehensive immigration reform.

Hopefully our leaders will stop urging each other to action and start acting.

We need them them to enact comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to EARNED legal status for the undocumented Irish. You can help. Join Irish-America and the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform on Capitol Hill on March 7th. For details click HERE.
____________________
Excerpts from Voice of America report:

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to make the Bush administration's case for immigration reform. The centerpiece of the administration's plan is guest worker program, which could give most of the nation's estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship.

***

Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican who supports the plan, called on Chertoff and Gutierrez to do more to convince members of their party that it is not amnesty."I would appreciate it if both of you would think through this amnesty issue and find the best arguments we have for what else can be done to eliminate this argument, because it is an impediment in dealing with the 11 million undocumented emigrants," said Mr. Specter.In arguing why the plan is not amnesty, Chertoff and Gutierrez underscored that guest workers would have to meet a series of conditions before getting on a path to citizenship, including paying fines and learning English.

***

Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, is chairman of the Judiciary Committee:"Reform is overdue," he said. "We must be realistic about the millions of undocumented people in this country. We need to bring people out of the shadows."
____________________
To read the the full text of Senator Patrick Leahy's opening statement, click HERE.

To read the testimony of the Secretary of Commerce (Hon Carlos Gutierrez) click HERE.

To read the testimony of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (Hon. Michael Chertoff) click HERE.

To read the full VOA report, click HERE.

To listen to the VOA report, click HERE.