Kennedy and McCain Continue to Work for Amnesty

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) continue to work on legislation to grant amnesty to illegal aliens and import additional guest workers. McCain said, "We're trying to get outlines for an agreement among the White House and the Republicans, and then we're also at the same time continuing to discuss the issue with Sen. Kennedy." The possible timetable for such a bill to come to the Senate floor is the latter part of May. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has reserved the last two weeks of May for consideration of immigration. Source: Congress Daily AM (3/29/07)

Rumors from Washington indicate that amnesty advocates seek support from Republicans who voted against amnesty/guest worker last year by offering a bill with provisions for immigration law enforcement — followed by an amnesty. Immigration reformers maintain that any deal involving amnesty is unacceptable.

Illegal Alien 'Absconders' Increasing

The federal government during the past four years has mounted a major effort to locate and deport illegal alien "absconders" — individuals who have gone into hiding after the government has specifically named them for deportation. Many absconders are felons convicted of serious crimes, including murder, rape, drug dealing and child molestation.

In spite of the government's campaign, the total of absconders has continued to rise since the turn of the century. In 2001, there were 331,000 absconders, 418,000 in 2003, and 623,000 as of the first part of 2007. "The fugitive alien population is growing at a rate that exceeds the [immigration authorities'] ability to apprehend," said Inspector General Richard Skinner of the Department of Homeland Security.

The government's failure to apprehend absconders, despite the higher priority given to it than catching other illegals, makes many immigration reformers skeptical of promises to enforce immigration laws in exchange for an amnesty. In fact, they observe, the burden of administering an amnesty/guest worker program would overwhelm enforcement even more than it is now.