Congratulations, AIC Members and Supporters

S. 1348, the Senate amnesty bill, was supposed to pass the Senate with little difficulty — just as the similar amnesty bill, S. 2611, passed last year. But on June 7th, S. 1348, ran into a major roadblock when the Senate voted not to close debate on the bill and move to a final vote.

One reason was contention between Republicans and Democrats, but another significant reason was an outpouring of public outrage against the immigration bill. Calls, faxes, letters, and e-mails flooded the Senate offices. One of our sources on a Senate staff told AIC that many senators were shaken by the force of public opposition. Congratulations, AIC members and supporters, for your role in applying this pressure.

Unfortunately, the bill is far from dead. Its key sponsors have vowed to revive it. Long-time Washington observer Paul Weyrich said that President Bush, desperate to pass the bill, may sway some senators with offers and promises. "The president has what [these senators] want. What is it? I don't know. It may be a federal building named after the senator. It may be a new major road. It could be the appointment of someone at the White House, at the Justice Department or whatever."

Thus the bill may rise again, if public pressure slacks off. We must not let this happen. Keep up the calls, faxes, letters, and e-mails. Say No to amnesty; say No to S. 1348.

Polls Results Manipulated

Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer charged (6/1/07) that poll results cited by amnesty supporters are misleading. An example he cited was a Rasmussen poll which asked respondents what should be done with illegal aliens, (a) allow them to apply for legalization (b) deport them. Sixty-two percent chose (a).

Citing this result, The New York Times claimed, "A large majority of Americans want to change the immigration laws to allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status." The columnist replied that the wording and the alternatives of the question skewed the outcome. Applying for amnesty, he noted, is not the same as getting it. And instead of just "deport," which suggests a harsh military-style action, another possibility would be gradually-applied enforcement which encourages illegals to leave.

A Pulse Opinion Research poll in May provided this option, asking: Which approach do you prefer — enforcing the law and cause illegal immigrants to go home over time or granting legal status and citizenship to those who meet certain requirements. Fifty-six percent said, "Enforce the law" compared with 35 percent who said, "Grant legal status."

Krauthammer observed that other questions in the Rasmussen poll appeared to contradict the one trumpeted by the Times. One of these found that only 29 percent thought that legalizing illegals was important. Another found that 69 percent agreed with sending them back home when the alternative of applying for legal status was not mentioned.

Take Action: Contact your Senators today via our Legislative Action Center.