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A LANDMARK IMMIGRATION bill passed a crucial test today in the US Senate, where lawmakers are expected to officially begin consideration of the comprehensive reform backed by President Barack Obama.
After months of initial debate and more than 100 new amendments offered to the underlying legislation, the Senate in an act of broad bipartisanship voted 82-15 to move toward what is expected to be three weeks of contentious floor debate on the bill’s final passage.
“This overwhelming vote, a majority of both parties, starts this bill off on just the right foot,” said Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, one of the Gang of Eight senators — four Democrats and four Republicans — who crafted the 1,076-page measure.
“This bill marks the best chance for a broad bipartisan compromise… that we’ve had in decades,” he added.
A 13-year pathway to citizenship
Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid has said that by the July 4 break he hopes the Senate will pass the bill, which provides a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million living illegally in the United States, tightens border security, and aims to collect back taxes from undocumented workers.
It also would revise programmes for high-tech employees and agriculture workers, require firms to use an e-verify programme that prevents illegal hires and compel those receiving provisional legal status to learn English.
Obama made an outspoken pitch for the bill Tuesday, branding those opposed to it insincere about fixing a badly broken system.
The president has gently pushed the bill from behind the scenes for months, fearing his open support would swell the ranks of conservatives who see the bill as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants and who are determined to kill it.
But as the legislation faced a crucial test vote, Obama waded into the fray, leveraging the political capital on the issue he won during last year’s election campaign, particularly among Hispanic voters.
New border security measures
The president sought to disarm conservative Republicans — even some who support immigration reform — who argue that the bill should not be passed without tough new border security measures.
“If passed, the Senate bill, as currently written and as hitting the floor, would put in place the toughest border enforcement plan that America has ever seen. So nobody’s taking border enforcement lightly,” he said at a White House event.
Obama also took direct aim at the motives of lawmakers who are opposed to the bill.
“If you’re not serious about it, if you think that a broken system is the best America can do, then I guess it makes sense to try to block it,” he said.
“But if you’re actually serious and sincere about fixing a broken system, this is the vehicle to do it, and now is the time to get it done.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, a frequent Obama critic, said “the president’s tone and engagement has been very helpful” to the process.
But he stressed that fellow Republicans in the Senate and House needed to look closely at whether they want to scupper the effort and jeopardize the party’s political future by alienating millions of voters.
“Politically, if the bill fails and Republicans… receive the blame from the eyes of the public for not being practical, I think it makes it virtually impossible for us to win the White House in 2016,” Graham told reporters.
Scepticism remains
Several Republicans remain sceptical of the bill, with Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia vowing to introduce “a whole slew” of amendments.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz acknowledged the measure “is going to pass the Senate, but as written, this bill will not pass the House,” where he said lawmakers remained concerned about a pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the shadows.
Senator Mitch McConnell, the chamber’s top Republican, sought a balanced tone Tuesday, and voted to proceed to debate on the bill.
But he stressed “there will need to be major changes to this bill if it’s going to become law,” citing Republican calls for mandatory border security triggers before undocumented workers can begin the pathway to citizenship.
The bill will need 60 votes to pass the 100-seat Senate, and then face an uncertain fate in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where Speaker John Boehner has pledged to begin debate on immigration legislation this month.
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Today will always be the first official day of Christmas to me. Tree always went up on the 8th.
What does a dub call a culchie at work??
Boss
Lazy Culchies. Although some say Mullah, Mulchie or Bog -Trotter, what Dubs would call culchies at work.
Ah good to see a dub is finally awake to reply to my comment
I’m not a Dub.
A wannabe dub?
That’s the small-minded country in you. It’s not your fault.
Okay, eggs.
If you’re not from Dublin you’re a culchie in their eyes W1K
Well if your scraping the end of the barrel Alan b / neeneee ….. Why does your culchie boss always have a red neck ? ‘Slap’ .. “Get up to Dublin and get a job “
Think this sums it up for you neeneee
Ah Johnny well done that’s the funniest thing you’ve ever came out with here
Your lucky you have Dublin to support you. Keeps the country going.
It’s you’re
It’s funny you need a culchie to correct your grammar
I was talking to you. What part of culchie land are you stuck in?
Only getting started Alan sure there’s only so much work a country mechanic can do under a wheelbarrow!
Now be careful Alan when your listening to the match later that you don’t burn your ear !
And yes before you correct me Alan b/ neenee ‘you are ‘ a spacker ….. And yes folks its singular cause he’s the same person
Like a Nigerian culchie or a Chinese culchie?
Your typical Dublin Jackeen has more in common with the Chav’s over England than they have with their fellow countrymen. That’s as far as the want to evolve to, country folk are better than that.
They really need to develop online shopping here. An Amazon Ireland would be great.
Seamus it pains me the amount of times I have found exactly what I want on Amazon but then they wont deliver to Ireland even if the fecking thing is in the UK but yet they deliver around the world.
There absolutely would be a market for it!
Parcel Motel.
Parcel Motel, greatest invention ever for those of us who do all of our shopping online.
Nice to have a stroll down the boardwalk being careful not to catch the eye of the many junkies shooting up , and meander up O Connell st also being mindful of being verbally or physically abused, ah the joys of our capital
Just shop on Grafton Street
Yeah, skip out to Dundrum if they bother you, poor wee flower
They don’t bother me you have to become immune to them, so untwist your knickers there
‘Outside Dublin there wasn’t a whole lot of good shopping to be had around the rest of the country. Dublin was the shopping Mecca.’ Emmmm….nope. Do Dubs realise there are cities outside the Pale? With the same shops? I never even heard of this day until I moved from Cork to Dublin 2 years ago. I’m pretty sure it’s just midlanders. :D
But everything is bigger and better in Dublin.
You must be a young un Carol, because up until the early 00s, bogger shopping day was alive and well! The provincial shopping centres, retail parks have only really popped up in the last 10-15 years.
And a lot of them have closed since. Much better choice in the Capital.
Rtibe…define ‘young’ ;) I’m not a teenager anyway, that’s for sure!
W1K there isn’t though, that’s my point. We have all the same shops as Dublin :)
Culchie?bit xenophobic?
Would definitely be perceived as mildly pejorative when used by someone from outside rural Ireland, especially someone from Dublin
I married a dub to discover her granny was a culchie now where am I
If they are a decent family you should have known they had culchie blood all along
Really Michelle? I’m surprised that you would write this , The term Culchie is pejorative and often used as a term of abuse.
I find nothing amusing about this , some people have embraced terms such as Queer , Niga , Paddy , Culchie etc. but they all have their roots in abusing a
Minority for having different customs or accents etc.
I like crunchies, is it still alright to by a bar of crunchie or where do we stand politically on that? or will I ask for a bar of crunchieside?
I much perfer to be a culchie,bogger or any other name you wish to call me. Sat here in my home by the sea in gorgeous Dingle. Im not stuck in a not so nice city. They ridicule us and call us names yet come here in their droves cause they love it so much. Jealousy is awefull. Call me what u like i dont care cause i know who the lucky one is.
Dublin vs culchies funny eh, when they go away to work it doesn’t matter where they’re from, that makes me laugh.
Great the City will be stinking of Cabbage and Farmyard for the day.
Like it doesn’t stink already
Ah come on Val – there’s whiffs of all,sorts,out there now don’t discriminate :-((
Cool, it might cover up the smell of bulmers and hash.
They won’t be eating out in the restaurants. They’ll be making the cheese sandwiches now and a flask of tea. The Cork to Dublin train will be packed this morning.
Hang sangwiches, surely?
Still Recession times for them so they say. Back to the cheese.
Today is the day in the middle of a working week in the busiest time of the year where I’ve to find someone to mind my kids as the Catholic church has shut their school because of the “immaculate conception”. Easily the fastest gestation time in history.
Isn’t the Immaculate Conception when Mary was conceived though?
I’ll bow to your better knowledge on that one Eibhls
Ah so that’s what these schools are… Child minding services..
Did I say that, but it is a consequence of them going to school that they don’t need to be minded for those few hours and my partner and I can be productive citizens and pay our taxes. Arrangement can be made easily made for holiday and sick day but when this curve ball is thrown at you for no sensible reason in the busiest few weeks of the week it’s a pain in the ass.
It must have been one erotic sweet dream.
The immaculate conception refers to the conception of Mary, not the conception of Jesus.
No, it’s when Jesus was conceived, which correlates with his actual real birth month of September.
Bit weird to be marking the day when your god’s missis ovulated.
lol – boggers are funny. 15 years behind everyone else. With their Tamagochis & 1st Gen iPods. They still play Whigfield’s ‘Saturday Night’ in their nightclubs & wear Puma runners.
We really are so behind the times. We haven’t even gotten around to handing our main streets over to junkies.
lol – come back when this isn’t you: https://youtu.be/YkVWccmK48U
15 years? that’s too kind. 25 years more like. They look like Mammy still buys the clothes.
HAHA this is too funny, Dublin doesn’t even have an apple store ffs! 15 years behind??
My parents who used to always be part of that December 8th shoppers to Dublin have since switched to Cork in recent years as they find it a more pleasant city to traverse and with nicer, friendlier people.
I, and most others do almost everything online now and for whats left the shops are the same in any city as in any other these days. I’d imagine those still making the trip to Dublin are mostly older people stuck with tradition.
Dubs will be delighted I’m sure to have their shanty town left to themselves so they can wallow with their own kind, it’s what they’ve always wanted!
Says Rochelle from Limerick!!! Both Cork and limerick are very similar when it comes to retail. Why would to bother travelling from one to the other to shop?
online means you can buy from loads of different countries Seamus. happy Christmas everyone.
Shipping costs and exchange rates are a problem with international online shopping.
Price is displayed before you purchase.. Whats the problem? Most times it ends up cheaper for me even with those considerations
Ah, Michelle, shame on you – click bait, click bait, click bait (which I’ve taken :-) ) anything to generate a bit of (gawd ‘elp us) “controversy”. Sad in this day and age.
Yeah but sure half of all the ones that call us culchies,cabbage or whatever will heading in their cars to Dingle and other places for new year. Well if u dont like us and we smell so bad . Stay where u are if the capital is so great…
The Culchies call the Dubs “West Brits”.
(Dubliners famously know more about the Royal Family than they know about the Culchies).
And how exactly do they count the amount of people in the city centre on any given day?
By counting the number of sales reported by members of the Chamber of Commerce.
So only country people shop on this day? When do the Jackeens venture down to guineys for their new Christmas clobber then…….
Is anyone old enough to remember the warning to the culchies over the tannoy in Dunnes? This chirpy little girl announcing “Pickpockets in Dunnes. Pickpockets!”
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