Immigration Update

Senate Week ahead – June 11^th

The Senate reconvenes today at 2:00 pm. At 5:30 this evening the Senate will vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 14, a resolution of no-confidence in Attorney General Gonzales.

If cloture is not invoked on the Gonzales resolution, then we will proceed to a vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 6, the House passed Energy Bill. Keep in mind it is expected that the Energy Bill could be on the floor for up to two weeks.

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"This Bill Is Alive And Well"
Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill Is "The Right Thing For Our Country"

Sec. Gutierrez: "Our Country Needs This"

Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez: "This bill is alive and well, and we are more determined than ever to get it through … because this is the right thing for our country." "What happened is just a break, and you know, people want more debate. They want a little bit more time. We probably need a couple of days more, I understand from the Senators. But we are more determined than ever because this is the right thing for our country. We've got to get this through. The status quo is just unsustainable; it's dysfunctional." (CNN's "Late Edition," 6/10/07)

Snow: "We're Not Only Going To Get A Bill, But We're Going To Get A Better Bill"

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow: "Our sense is if Majority Leader Harry Reid brings it back up, which he should, and permits a full debate, which would follow what happened last year under similar circumstances, we're not only going to get a bill, but we're going to get a better bill." "The interesting thing … is sort of the core elements of the plan all have been approved by votes of 60 or more before the entire U.S. Senate. So I think what you do have is a situation now where people of good will – conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican – want to go through, roll up their sleeves and finish up the business of taking a good, thorough look at the measure." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 6/10/07)

Sen. Kyl: "I Don't Think It's Amnesty"

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ): "Everyone has their own definition [of amnesty] … I think it is a dead-end debate." "We have tried to do as many things as we can to ensure that for those that get to stay, they pay a price, and I don't think it's amnesty. For those who say, 'This bill is amnesty, we shouldn't pass it,' one of my responses is, 'OK, so do you like what we have?'" (Collin Levy, "The 'Amnesty' Canard," The Wall Street Journal, 6/9/07)

· "One of the most overlooked provisions" is the electronic employee verification system. "The employee verification system is really the complement to the border. You can try to prevent people coming in, but there is a magnet of employment. Resourceful people can find ways to get here. So if you can shut off that magnet of illegal employment, that complements the work you are doing at the border. A lot of businesses just want to have a legal way of doing things … and the employer now has a way to make the law work."