This bill was bad for American workers, bad for undocumented workers, bad for families trying to reunify in the U.S., and bad for immigrants trying to come to the country.

And the number of amendments was dizzying. The bill became a wildcard where non of us knew what would we would end up with.

Since this kind of legislation only comes by every 20 years or so, it is important to get it right.

The status quo isn't ideal, but I can live with it until we get it right.  If the xenophobes heads explode and the GOP implodes on itself in the meantime, all the better.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  June 28, 2007

Virginia CCIR Issues Statement on Senate Cloture Vote

Virginia Senators Criticized for Voting to Kill Needed Reform

Richmond, VA - Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, who is coordinating the efforts of the Virginia Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, a project of the Virginia Justice Center and the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, issued the following statement on behalf of the Coalition today regarding the Senate vote to kill comprehensive immigration reform:

We are very disappointed that Virginia Senators John Warner and Jim Webb voted to kill the comprehensive immigration reform bill. The need for reform is pressing, and it is not going away. The federal system is broken and the failure to address the issue will further frustrate the overwhelming majority of Americans who want the system fixed and fixed now. The Senators' refusal to act positively to move reform forward will leave millions living in fear and exacerbate the "we-they" issues that increasingly are driving Virginia communities apart as they seek to deal with the fallout of the failed federal policy.

The Senators' vote to kill reform preserves an untenable status quo that leaves in place the perverse incentives that provoke both scofflaws and vigilantes, affirms the invitation to exploitation that undermines the working conditions of American and immigrant workers, kills the dreams of school children who want nothing more than an equal opportunity to continue their education, and threatens the economic well-being of the agricultural businesses that are a vital part of Virginia's economy. We simply cannot deport our way out of this problem.

VACCIR will deliver to Senator Webb's office in Richmond today another 208 postcards from Virginians who support comprehensive reform. This brings to more than 800 the number of Virginians who have put their names on the line in favor of reform.

I, for one, would never advocate to get a bill passed during a period of time when there is mounting racism/xenophobia against people from Latin Americans, who, fairly or unfairly, are the face of undocumented workers today.

I would avoid pushing the issue when the temptation to gain quick political points via ethnic hatred is so strong for politicians.

Especially when the Republican Party, now in crisis, can see pandering to racists may be a way out of the electoral hole that they dug for themselves.

If the bill was going to pass, it was going to have to concede some points to the xenophobes and racists. And since they are against any kind of legalization, that would have meant some nasty restriction which advocates of undocumented workers wouldn't like.

Senator Webb: ?Enforce the Laws on the Books?

Washington, DC? The following is a statement issued by Senator Jim Webb following the failed cloture vote on the immigration bill:

?Given today?s immigration impasse, it is more important that the President vigorously enforce the laws that are on the books and that we search for new ways to implement broader reform. Our present laws already include tough civil and criminal penalties for companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.  They also allow us to gain control over our porous borders by properly utilizing the assets and legal means that are now at our disposal.

?One sensible proposal to come from the bill, supported overwhelmingly by my colleagues in the Senate, was a $4.4 billion allocation aimed at securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the workplace.  I believe we should proceed with appropriating these funds for enhanced border security and workplace enforcement.  I will make it a priority over the course of this legislative session to see that this appropriation of funds happens.?

For audio of this statement, please go to: http://demradio.sena...

States are picking up where the Fed. Gov. has failed.  States are now empowering police to require immigration status from those that are stopped for traffic violations or are otherwise brought before the court.

I fell VA will become much more unfriendly to illegal immigrants.

Fund the federal agencies involved with immigration, and enforce the current laws, as Jim Webb says.

The good news - this bill had too much corporate influence and was not designed with the best intentions for American workers or immigrants.  I stunk to high heaven of corporate favors.

The bad news - we have serious problems with our immigration system that probably won't be fixed any time soon.

The cure - in my estimation, this bill was poisoned by special interests and extremes.  We can't do anything about the extremes - they have every right to voice their opinion and be part of the process.  We can however curtail the influence of corporations - and we should.

I believe that without corporate lobbyists meddling with this bill, both sides could have reached an agreement and an immigration reform bill would have passed the Senate. 

Campaign finance reform and ethics reforms are critical to our government functioning.  I believe we should focus on solving the root issue - corruption - and only then can we solve these other big issues.

Unless we solve the problem of corruption and big money in our political system, we will never find fairness in the political process.  We will find ourselves reaching a stalemate on urgent matters like this.