Senate Immigration Vote Passes, 67-22

IS IT TRUE BORDER SECURITY OR JUST A PHANTOM?

by Sharon Rondeau

(Jun. 25, 2013) — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has issued a press release following the procedural vote in the Senate to cut off or continue debate on a 1,200-page proposed immigration reform bill which was substituted late last week for an original bill.

The vote was taken at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Monday.

In the release, Sessions states:

The Gang of Eight and their allies revealed their true tactics tonight. They shut down debate and blocked amendments to a 1,200-page immigration bill that no one has read… This legislation is a crushing blow to the working people of this country, a surrender to illegality, and a capitulation to special interests over the interests of the citizens we pledged to represent.”

and

The sponsors of the Corker-Hoeven substitute fell short of the votes they expected tonight to advance what they had erroneously billed to other Senators as a strong border security amendment. Failure to capture the votes they anticipated for this motion demonstrates the building unease this 1,200-page legislative monstrosity has created. I expect that unease will increase as Senators learn more about what’s really inside this proposal.

An internet search at 9:15 p.m. EDT revealed that no other news source appeared to be reporting the outcome of the vote, but rather, the events leading up to the vote.

As of 9:42 p.m. EDT, the Associated Press reported that the “test vote” garnered 67 in favor and 22 opposed, which signifies that it will proceed to a formal vote on the merits “within days.”

Reuters called “illegal aliens” “undocumented foreigners.”

Several key immigration officers dislike the amendment, which they said “will provide instant legalization and a path to citizenship to gang members and other dangerous criminal aliens, and handcuff ICE officers from enforcing immigration laws in the future.”  Proponents such as the Chamber of Commerce said that the bill represents “conservative immigration reforms.”

The “amendment,” introduced on June 20, was touted as including tough border enforcement provisions not present in the original bill.  Corker said that the amendment was designed to “help a bill pass.”

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer also contributed his ideas to the amendment, which was considered a “compromise” with border enforcement provisions added to the original proposal.

Sessions stated in his press release that “no one” has read the bill, yet a vote was taken and a measure passed to end debate on it.  Sessions also accused his peers of reneging on a promise of delivering a “fair and open process” regarding the new bill.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said on the Senate floor prior to the vote that “This amendment and the underlying Gang of Eight bill grants immediate legalization, and the border security changes will never be implemented, and the border will not be secured. That’s not a solution the American people can be proud of, and I urge this body to reject the amendment, to vote against cloture and reject the underlying bill.”

Earlier on Monday, The Post & Email contacted Sen. Chris Murphy’s office to ask if Murphy had read the bill, to which the staffer responded, “Yes, I think so.”  When we asked, “All 1,200 pages?” we were told “Yes.”