Senate Taking Up Sensitive Issue Of Illegal Workers

Senate Taking Up Sensitive Issue Of Illegal Workers

POSTED: 8:45 am CST March 27, 2006
UPDATED: 11:46 am CST March 27, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Senators writing an immigration bill broke from the House's get-tough approach by refusing Monday to make criminals of humanitarian groups or individuals who help illegal immigrants as more than a thousand immigration rights activists rallied outside the Capitol.

The Senate Judiciary Committee adopted an amendment by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., that would protect church and charitable groups, as well as individuals, from criminal prosecution for providing food, shelter, medical care and counseling to undocumented immigrants.

"Charitable organizations, like individuals, should be able to provide humanitarian assistance to immigrants without fearing prosecution," Durbin said.

The House voted in December to make offers of such non-emergency aid a felony. The Senate panel also rejected a proposal Wednesday by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to require humanitarian groups providing aid to illegal immigrants to register with the Department of Homeland Security.

The immigration bills have sparked protests around the country, and with the committee's action on Monday demonstrators at the front of the Capitol claimed to have already had an impact. At least 200 clergy members were present, including dozens wearing handcuffs to protest the House's action.

"This is not about legislation any more," said Jorge Medina, an immigrant from Honduras now living in Charlotte, N.C. "This is about feelings now. We are Americans, too. We are not from Mars and we are not from the moon."

President Bush used a naturalization ceremony Monday for swearing in 30 new citizens from 20 countries to warn critics of his proposal to let some illegal immigrants remain in the United State against stoking anti-immigrant feelings.

"The immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and dignified way," the president said as lawmakers began tackling the hot-button election issue of what to do with the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

More @ http://tinyurl.com/mf9mx Click 2 Houston

Civil and dignified my ass! There is nothing civil or dignified about allowing millions of illegals into my country and then not prosecuting those who helped them get into my country and not shipping the illegals back where they belong.

This country belongs to its citizens and not to non-citizens! I'm soooooo angry that politician's pussyfoot around this issue like the illegals were some how a bloc of voters and they might offend someone. I don't give a damn who is offended or how much they complain the majority of United States citizens want this invasion stopped and stopped now!

Fox and his merry men in Mexico want to export Mexico's over population problem and the money men in this country want cheap labor, while the coward politician's want more votes.