Farmers, others, seek to get remnants of US immigration bill passed

[GraceAbounds]

Farmers, others, seek to get remnants of US immigration bill passed

CHARLES BABINGTON Associated Press Writer
(AP) - WASHINGTON-Hours after a massive immigration bill collapsed in the Senate, lawmakers and industry representatives began seeking ways to pass bits and pieces of the measure important to their constituents.
A priority for many farm groups is the "Ag jobs" component, one of several programs now needing a new legislative vehicle. It would legalize about 1 million undocumented agricultural workers in the U.S., a key goal of growers whose crops can rot in the fields if not harvested at key times by people willing to work hard at low wages.

The program is considered relatively popular, as is another piece of the stalled bill: the DREAM Act, or Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. It would create a path to legality for illegal immigrants planning to attend college or join the military and who came to the United States with their families before they turned 16.
On Thursday, President George W. Bush's immigration plan to legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants while fortifying the border collapsed in the Senate and crushed both parties' hopes of dealing with the volatile issue before next year's elections.
The Senate vote to destroy the delicate compromise was a stinging setback for Bush, who had made reshaping immigration laws a centerpiece of his domestic agenda. It was engineered by members of his own Republican party.
Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, his party's lead negotiator on the bill, called its defeat "enormously disappointing for Congress and for the country." But, he added: "We will be back. This issue is not going away."
The bill's Senate supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage. The tally was 46 yes, 53 no, as three-quarters of the Senate's Republicans voted to derail the bill.
Some lawmakers said they hope Congress will enact such programs as stand-alone bills fairly soon. Others, however, said it will be difficult to pass even noncontroversial parts by themselves. Backers of items likely to be left out, they said, will resist losing the political leverage that a multifaceted package can provide.
In an interview earlier this week, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham - a backer of the sidetracked immigration bill - said the one-at-a-time approach may prove impossible, even for tougher border-enforcement measures that now seem popular.
"The only way we're going to get Ag jobs or DREAM Act" or pathways to legal status for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, Graham said, "is to do it together. This idea of 'Just do the enforcement,' there are no votes for that."
Other Republicans, especially in the House, disagree. All immigration-related proposals should be postponed, they said, until the Mexican border is secured.
"The American people believe that until we're able to secure our borders and enforce our laws, taking additional steps is really not in the best interests of the country," House Minority Leader John Boehner, a Republican, said after Thursday's vote.
Some lawmakers immediately urged Bush to accept defeat on the wide-ranging bill and ask Congress for an emergency spending bill for more border enforcement activities. "That would be a great next step after this vote," said Republican Sen. David Vitter, who opposed the bill.
Some lawmakers said it hardly matters, however, because enough money and authority already are in place to do the job.
There should be "a very strong sense of urgency in this country to simply carry out the law, the mandate, for 854 miles of fence that we passed" in the 109th Congress, Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter told reporters Thursday. "They've only built 13 miles of the fence so far. Let's get it built before the next hot season."
While the security debate simmers, the farm lobby will push for Ag jobs, immigrant advocacy groups will fight for the DREAM Act, and other interest groups will seek avenues for similar pet projects. Some legislative leaders Thursday were noncommittal on how they might fare

I believe the dream act also covers children that were brought here illegally by their parents. Anyone else know more about the Dream Act?