The Demise of the Immigration Compromise Bill

Washington, DC (TLS). As expected, the U.S. Senate failed to garner the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture Thursday morning, and proceed to a vote on the immigration reform bill. This means that the bill is dead.

Six top Republicans defected from the shaky coalition of Democrats and Republican leaders in order to insure the demise of the bill. This was in stark contrast to the vote on Tuesday when the bill's supporters received 64 votes.

However, in the intervening hours between the first vote and today's vote, a massive avalanche of angry citizens inundated Congress with phone calls, faxes, emails, and text messages.

One person who contacted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was so explosive in his derogatory comments that Reid indicated he would be turning over the communication to the government's investigative authorities.

Obviously, the vast majority of the contacts were not violent in nature, and thus, the Senators heard the deep concerns of the people loud and clear.

Even Senator Dianne Feinstein commented on the number of complaints from citizens, but stated that she would vote in favor of the bill anyway because 'those who oppose the bill do not understand it.'

Sure, Senator. Only elitists like you can truly understand the intricacies of government and legislation, and we, the misinformed and ignorant commoners, are too dumb to comprehend.

Senator Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, on the other hand, asked, 'What part of ‘no’ don’t we understand? This fight has 'reengaged the American people.'

However, Senator Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, one of the bill's staunchest proponents, stated, 'Remember this day if you vote no. The bill will not come back in its present form, and this is as good as it gets.'

Perhaps someone should remind Senator Graham that we don't need another bill. What we need is enforcement of the laws already on the books that deal directly with the problem of illegal aliens and what to do about them.

The problem is not inadequate laws. The problem is the inadequate enforcement of current law.

Some liberal groups are already warning that the opposition to this bill among Republicans will spell defeat for them in 2008. The common reasoning behind this view is that Hispanic voters are overwhelmingly turning to Democrats, and today's vote will only accelerate that process.

Critics point to the fact that George W. Bush received 40% of the Hispanic vote but that in 2008 that level of support is expected to drop.

A closer look, however, reveals that Hispanics have never been in the hip-pocket of Republicans to begin with. 40% of the Hispanic vote is not a majority. Democrats have always been the beneficiaries of the influx of Hispanic immigrants, which is the biggest reason they block enforcement of current law and come within a hair's breadth of supporting open borders.

It should not be very difficult, however, to show Hispanic voters that this bill is not about legal immigration. This has NEVER been about legal immigration. The vast millions of Hispanic immigrants who have gained citizenship through legal means are valued and productive citizens. They work hard. They are deeply religious. They support their families.

Republicans, conservatives, independents, and libertarians who opposed the immigration compromise bill have no quarrel at all with these exemplary members of the LEGAL Hispanic immigrant community. Our quarrel has been with illegal aliens, period...and the corrupt government of Mexico that apparently wishes to dump its criminals onto America by supporting their illegal entry into the country.

The bill as it stood did very little to adequately address the problem of illegal aliens. Granting a path to citizenship for illegals would be a slap in the face to every immigrant who followed the law and attained their citizenship the right way.

Americans of every stripe continue to welcome immigrants who are willing to obey the law, learn English, and follow the path to citizenship already laid out in the U.S. Code.

We still support those who obey the law. But we remain vehemently opposed to those who disregard the law.