Amnesty Passes through Committee 13-5 – Senators Cruz and Sessions Cite Concerns (Video)

While most political junkies were focused on the Obama Regime scandals, Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee quietly passed immigration bill S. 744 13-5 out of committee.  The Republican no votes were Senators Grassley, Cruz, Lee, Cornyn, and Sessions.  Senators Flake, Hatch & Graham voted with all 10 Democrats in favor of the amnesty bill.

After they return from the Memorial Day recess, the full Senate is expected to consider the bill. .

In his closing remarks, Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz cited his concerns that the legislation does not effectively secure the border or adequately improve legal immigration in a statement on the Senate Floor.

“I want common sense immigration reform to pass. Our immigration system is broken and I think there are large bipartisan majorities that want it to pass, but this bill has two major problems,” the senator said in his closing comments. “Number one, it doesn’t stop illegal immigration. If anything it makes the problem worse by not securing the border and by incentivizing future illegal immigration. Number two, I believe in its current form, the bill will not become law, and if Congress cannot pass immigration reform, that is a terrible outcome.

“Unfortunately, every Democrat on this committee voted against measures that would put real teeth into border security and that would have improved legal immigration. I hope when this bill goes to the floor of the Senate, those who want immigration reform to pass will look to bipartisan areas of cooperation to improve this bill and to fix the problem.”


Senator Sessions (R-AL), a senior member of the committee cited his concern  that tech carve-outs in the bill would undermine workers. 

“These individuals are using [high-tech visa provision workers] for three years and having them go back to their country, almost as indentured servants… making it more difficult for American workers to find jobs… Should our immigration policy serve the national interests or the special interests of certain companies?”


Sessions issued a statement, Tuesday evening regarding a letter from 150 conservative national leaders who have come out against the Gang of Eight’s bill.  The letter reveals increasing opposition from within the law enforcement community, including sheriffs, ICE, and USCIS.  

 Sessions’ statement:

“The letter opposing the Gang of Eight legislation from conservative leaders and activists across the country is a profound statement from patriotic Americans speaking out against the special interests. The letter is signed by many of the finest minds, most esteemed thinkers, and most courageous leaders in the conservative movement. These Americans represent the national interest–not the special interests who wrote this bill and who are fighting for its passage.

 
The coalition letter is an important and decisive moment in this debate, reflecting deep, broad and principled conservative opposition. They note, correctly, that the Gang of Eight legislation is like Obamacare–a large, unwieldy bill filled with broken promises and special interest giveaways. The letter makes crucial points about how the Gang of Eight legislation will pull down Americans’ wages, destroy American jobs and erode the constitutional rule of law as immigration officers have repeatedly warned. While the number of voices supporting the Gang of Eight legislation shrinks, the number of Americans speaking out against this proposal continues to grow.
 
I am grateful to the patriotic Americans who signed this letter and look forward to joining with them, and Americans of all political views, to fight for sound reform that upholds the rule of law and that serves the American worker and taxpayer.”

Senator Sessions has vigorously opposed the immigration bill, charging that the enforcement mechanisms will not work, and that administration has already  undermined the entire internal enforcement system in America.

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