Senate Immigration Reform in March

Majority Leader Bill Frist told a group of key lawmakers involved in immigration legislation the Senate will take up the issue on March 27, Sen. John Cornyn said last week.

“That’s when the fireworks begin on the floor,” Cornyn said.

Cornyn was among the handful of Republican senators who met in Frist’s office for the strategy session. Also in the meeting were Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl and Sens. Mel Martinez of Florida, Richard Lugar of Indiana, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the Judiciary Committee chairman.

Cornyn is optimistic the Senate bill will include President Bush’s proposal for an expanded immigrant guest worker program to help curb illegal immigration.

“Obviously everyone understands border security is the foundation of any comprehensive bill,” Cornyn said, “but I think in the Senate there’s also broad acceptance of the need to deal with not just security issues but economic issues as well, which means a temporary worker program to in some way deal with 11 million (illegal immigrants) here.”

Source: Associated Press, Feb. 1, 2006

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