WHAT YOU NEED NOW - CONTENT UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY
Nov. 3, 2005
Byrd Works to Stop Massive Immigration Expansion; Move Would Also Protect
U.S. Jobs
By HNN Staff
Washington, DC (HNN) – U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., is leading a
bipartisan group of Senators in an effort to stop a vast increase in
immigration visa permits.
"Immigration is an issue that demands the attention of the Congress, and,
regretfully, we have been told that tougher enforcement actions will have to
wait until next year. And so, imagine the surprise of Senators to find
provisions buried deep, deep in this budget bill that would authorize the
U.S. Government to issue more than 350,000 additional immigrant visas each
year to foreign laborers seeking to live and work permanently in the United
States," Byrd said during debate on Wednesday.
The government grants permanent residency to approximately 1 million
immigrants each year. Byrd is working to block provisions that would raise
that number by one third -- a massive destabilizing increase.
"It is baffling. If we don’t have the time to address the illegal
immigration that threatens our national security, then how do we explain to
the American people that we somehow found the time to raise the level of
imported labor each year?" Byrd asked.
Byrd offered an amendment that would strike the escalation in visa permits.
Many have expressed concern that the Department of Homeland Security, which
oversees immigration and border security issues, is not in a position to
handle the increased H-1B visas that Senator Byrd is trying to stop. In
fact, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported that the
Department of Homeland Security cannot estimate how many people are already
in the United States on H-1B visas because of inadequate tracking systems.
The Byrd amendment has garnered the support of many labor unions, which are
concerned that such a flood of new visas would mean fewer jobs for American
workers.
"It’s bad enough that so many American jobs are moving overseas, and wages
and benefits here at home are being curtailed to compete with third-world
labor and unfair trade practices. Now, these provisions would make it more
likely that working Americans will find themselves in competition with
foreign labor for work in their own country," Byrd said.
In a letter to all Senators, the group "United for a Secure America" urged
support for the Byrd amendment.
"United to Secure America, representing our nation’s leading immigration
reform organizations with hundreds of thousands of members and supporters
throughout the country, strongly urges you to support the amendment to the
Reconciliation bill expected to be offered today by Senator Byrd to delete
provisions that would in effect sell over 368,000 American jobs annually to
foreign workers and their families who would be allowed to move permanently
to the United States and take Americans’ jobs," the letter said.
A vote on the Byrd amendment is expected Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005.
The amendment is another step in Byrd’s efforts to try to ensure that
America’s immigration system is not overwhelmed and that the government is
able to enforce the laws on the books. Five hundred new agents are guarding
America’s borders because of legislation that Byrd and Republican Senator
Larry Craig of Idaho guided through the Congress in May.
