Thursday, July 26, 2007

A Senate Immigration Update: John Cornyn Leads the Majority Leader   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

From a Senate aide:

Did you see what happened on the floor this morning? Check out this transcript below. Reid agreed to Cornyn's language that the border security money could be used for enforcing our immigration laws, in addition to border security - he had objected to it last night.

REID: Mr. President, let me just say I'll just take a minute and the Senator from Texas can speak. I told the Senator from South Carolina that I was going to be making a unanimous consent request. I say to my friend from Texas what a difference a night makes.

As you know — as some know, not very many, Senator Cornyn and I, Senator Graham and a few others, we were trying to work something out on this border security and Senator Cornyn and I were the last two to speak on this issue.

And like a lot of things around here, if you don't get your way, you kind of throw a tantrum a lot of times, and I didn't get my way, so I thought I would throw just a little tantrum. And the evening has brought to my attention that I was wrong, and Senator Cornyn was right.

I hate to acknowledge that but that's basically valid.

And so having said that, Mr. President, and swallowing a little bit of pride that I shouldn't have had, I now ask unanimous consent that when the senate resumes consideration of H.R. 2638 today, which will be just in a few minutes, that the time until 11:35 a.m. be for debate with respect to the Graham-Pryor border security amendment, and that has the senator from Texas' language in there.

This video comes from some fighin' Senate aides:  

Here is what the Senate is about to pass:

"There is hereby appropriated $3,000,000,000 to satisfy the requirements set out in section 1002(a) and, if any amount remains after satisfying such requirements, to achieve and maintain operational control over the international land and maritime borders of the United States, for employment eligibility verification improvements, for increased removal and detention of visa overstays, criminal aliens, aliens who have illegally reentered the United States, and for reimbursement of State and local section 287(g) expenses. These amounts are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 204 of S. Con. Res. 21 (110th Congress)."

UPDATE: Here's the AP:

But Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, resolved their differences overnight and announced agreement this morning. Cornyn won a promise to have some of the money used to go after immigrants who had entered the United States legally but had overstayed their visas. Reid had apparently thought earlier that Cornyn wanted harsher language. "I was wrong and Senator Cornyn was right," acknowledged a sheepish Reid.

07/26 11:53 AMShare