Skip to content
LPBN-Icon-v1
ImmigrationProf Blog
A Member of the Law Professor Blogs Network

The Senate Debate Continues

By immigrationprof

NPR reports on the views of key Senators involved in the immigration debate:

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) last week said his support for the bill hinges on the outcome of a series of amendments agreed to as part of the compromise to revive the legislation.

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) who has faced critical ads back home over his support for the bill, said Sunday, “I’m not committed to voting for the final product. The wheels may come off. But I am committed to trying.”

Democrats have taken hits from their normal allies, including labor and some Hispanic groups. They say the proposal is bad for workers or that provisions for obtaining visas place too much emphasis on skills, to the disadvantage of family ties.

“We know what they’re against. What are they for?” asked Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. He noted that since the Sept. 11 attacks, there have been 39 hearings on immigration, 23 days of debate in the Senate and 52 amendments.

But Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., a leading critic of the legislation, argued that support for the bill continues to plummet, both among senators thought to be behind it and among the public. Click here for the rest of the story.

bh