NON-AMNESTY AMNESTY

Yippee!

The Senate (meaning Bill Frist, John McCain, Arlen Specter, Harry Reid, and Ted Kennedy) arrived at a compromise on immigration.

WASHINGTON (FOX News) -- Senators said Thursday some fine-tuning still must be done, but a consensus has been reached among Republican and Democratic lawmakers on a compromise immigration reform package that puts illegals onto three tracks toward legal status in the United States.

The compromise comes at the same time the Senate failed a "cloture vote" on an immigration reform bill that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, but did not have the support of 60 senators.

..."The good news is that because of the hard work of the people who are with me, we've had a huge breakthrough which will allow us to pivot in the next several hours that will lead us to the conclusion of passing a very important bill," said Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

The bad news is the compromise is a total mess, creating rules and regulations that are very virtually unenforceable.

Amnesty by any other name still doesn't solve the immigration problem.

The roots plan gives consideration to much of the McCain-Kennedy bill in terms of the hoops set for illegals to climb through on the path to citizenship, including passing national security and criminal background checks, having been employed for three of the last five years, registering for the Selective Service and working an additional six years after the bill's enactment to ensure that their status is not adjusted before those who are already in line.

It also creates a tiered system that gives preference to illegals who have been in the United States longer and have established roots in their communities:

— Illegals in the United States less than two years would be required to leave immediately. If caught once, they would be subject to a misdemeanor, and if caught twice they would be charged with a felony. About 2 million to 3 million people fall into this category.

— Illegals in the United States between two and five years would have go to one of 16 ports of entry in the United States, determined by the U.S. Visit program, and declare themselves. They would be given a temporary visa and allowed back to their U.S. residences immediately. Once in the United States, they could apply for the citizenship path spelled out in the McCain-Kennedy bill. About 3 million to 4 million people fall into this category.

— Illegals who could prove they have been in the United States for more than five years would immediately be given guest worker status and would get on the 11-year path to citizenship. They would not have to declare themselves as guest workers. This path would be open to about 5 million illegals living in the United States.

Support has not been completely lined up. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, issued a statement late Wednesday that avoided taking a position on the proposal, but he is expected to oppose it. In his statement, he said he remains "adamant that we not repeat the mistakes of the 1986 bill, a measure widely viewed as having imposed amnesty on those in the country illegally."

Hopefully, clearer heads in the Senate, such as John Cornyn, and decent lawmakers in the House, will not allow the mistakes of 1986 to be repeated.

AMNESTY DOES NOT WORK.

It didn't work in 1986. It will not work in 2006.

This bill that the some of these senators are celebrating today guarantees that another non-amnesty amnesty bill will need to be passed in 2026.
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Read about the Dems' flip-flops and deceitfulness.