Leahy Says Immigration Top Priority for Senate Judiciary Committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee will dedicate most of its time this spring to comprehensive immigration reform, including changes for technology companies and agricultural businesses, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the committee's chairman, said Wednesday.

"We have to find a way through the partisan gridlock to enact meaningful change on immigration laws, and that should include a path for citizenship," Leahy said at Georgetown University Law Center this morning. "I know I’m going to hear a lot of different views on this, but I hope that in the end we can honor those who came before us from distant lands in search of freedom and opportunity."

The committee will start next month with public hearings, Leahy said. He did not mention specific proposals, but hinted at reforms targeting H1-B visas by mentioning "innovating for technology companies" and H2-A visas by mentioning the "hardworking men and women who play vital roles supporting our farmers."

Leahy also said the committee will continue oversight of the nation's counterterrorism efforts and protecting civil liberties, including the administration's use of drones abroad as well as in the United States.

"I am concerned about the growing use of drones by federal and local authorities to spy on Americans here at home," Leahy said. "This fast-emerging technology is cheap and I think just because it’s available doesn’t mean it helps us. There could be a significant threat to the privacy and civil liberties of millions of Americans."

The committee will begin examining reforms to national gun policy to remedy "tragedies like last month's shootings in Newtown," Leahy said. He said hearings would find a way to better protect communities from mass shootings "while respecting the fundamental right to bear arms recognized by the Supreme Court."

The committee will also focus on promoting national standards and oversight for forensic labs and practitioners, as well as fiscal issues related to the high rate of imprisonment and mandatory minimum sentences, Leahy said.

The reliance on mandatory minimum sentences has been "a great mistake," Leahy said. "Let judges act as judges and make up their own mind what should be done. The idea we protect society by one size fits all…it just does not work in the real world."

Leahy also said there are too many young people, minorities, and people from the inner cities, who are serving time where others who do the same crime get lighter penalties. He used the example of someone from the inner city buying $100 of cocaine could spend years in prison, while a Wall Street banker would only face reprimand, and maybe spend a week of public service on Park Avenue.

Comments

[Brittanicus]

BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE..?
It’s yet another form of corruption where illegal immigration has become a standard of big business “Ruling the Roost”. After the 1986 promise never to submit a bill for another Comprehensive Immigration Reform or some type of Amnesty, Obama and his mob of Inquisitors who don’t respect the Constitution are pushing for another Path to Citizenship for 20 million plus foreign nationals who spit on our laws. Another policy as before will just attract millions more people in poverty adding to our own. The quota system years back worked very well, but it was not good enough for the special interests, organized religion, unions and other inept organizations. Certain nationalities gained a working visa to enter the United States and it was a FAIR AND EQUITY way for individuals to immigrate. All we have to do is enforce the laws we have now, including passing most prominent laws that sit dormant ready to be voted on? These are Legal Workforce Act and the Birthright Citizenship bill. In the long run these laws could save taxpayers Trillions of dollars in education, health treatments for every illegal family, homes for low income and a load of benefits for the children of illegal aliens smuggled calculatingly into America. Using E-Verify and its growing innovations to electronically locate and deport illegal workers in jobs, which should belong to the 24 millions of Americans and the less fortunate existing on the streets. Our population is growing every year from legal and illegal immigration, with a proportion managing to gain entrance through CHAIN MIGRATION of immediate family members and there is a rising need to reduce it, otherwise we will have shortages of portable water, energy supplies and chaos on the crumbling road systems and retirement for people who never paid a cent into the system. Learn more from around the country with the lies and propaganda from the Liberal Progressives from the true believer in the Rule of Law at the “AMERICAN PATROL site.

Then again, until the special interest money is taken away from Congress, the general public hardly has any say in the policies of any administration? The rot inside the beltway is so intense, the little guy, the small politicians with expectations becomes malleable to their own parties. Ron Paul is correct that the Federal Reserve is as corrupt as any lawmaker. The 41 million plus TEA PARTY states that if you grew up in the in the 1950s and 1960s, you remember a time when the average husband could easily support his family – without putting his wife to work. You remember a banking system that was a good, honest steward of your money. And you remember when a dollar was a dollar… and every dime and quarter was made of 90% silver. Today, millions of two-income families are struggling to make ends meet. The same $1 that once bought you three gallons of gas will only buy you one-third of a gallon. And the price of everything else, from health care to food to electricity and even college tuition continues to soar. Make no mistake; this dollar crisis is destroying the American middle class. And one organization has been its chief architect: The Federal Reserve. Did you know…Thanks to the actions of the Fed, the basic necessities of life have become so expensive, according to a recent National Retirement Confidence Survey, 70% of American workers plan to work for pay after they retire. It’s true.

And I’m sure you’ve noticed how much harder it is to plan for the future and confidently invest in the stock market. Everything we’ve worked for is at risk of being taken away. All the wars Americans have died for to claim our freedom from dictatorship, is slowly fading as those in power are accumulating votes by pampering not only illegal aliens but the freeloaders, who have no intention of working for a living. All those people who voted for King Obama and his Imperial court must be mystified by more and more dollars being extracted by his administration and not just from wealthy amongst us. And a growing number of Americans are saying, “Enough is enough. This madness has to stop!” Here at The Project to Restore America – we fully support Ron Paul’s push to Audit the Fed. And we’re encouraged to see a new bill has been introduced by Congressman Paul Broun this year. But a major showdown waits in Washington DC, where powerful forces are plotting to crush any attempt to bring transparency to the Federal Reserve. My question to you is – will you let them to continue to gut the value of the dollar… or… choose to fight back? I’m not asking for your money. Nor am I asking you to attend a political rally. But we need to let our Congressmen hear this message loud and clear: It’s time to Audit the Fed! We’ve created a special one-click petition that will ensure your Congressman knows where you stand in the weeks ahead. If you are with me and share in Ron Paul’s sentiments on this issue go to “The Project to Restore America”. As individuals we may be helpless to challenge the powers that be. But together we are strong enough to flood Washington with support for this historic bill…and return fiscal sanity to our country.

[heisenberg]

People say that there’s this RACISM problem. People say that this RACISM problem will be solved when the developing world pours into EVERY white country and ONLY into white countries.
The Netherlands and Belgium are just as crowded as Japan or Taiwan, but nobody says Japan or Taiwan will solve the RACISM problem by bringing in millions of non-Asian people and “assimilating” with them.
People say that the final solution to the RACISM problem is for EVERY white country and ONLY white countries (along with EVERY white community and white institution) to “assimilate,” i.e., intermarry & amalgamate with all those non-whites.
What if I said there was this RACISM problem and this RACISM problem would be solved only if hundreds of millions of non-blacks were brought into EVERY black country and ONLY into black countries?
How long would it take anyone to realize I’m not talking about a RACISM problem. I am talking about the final solution to the BLACK problem?
And how long would it take any sane black man to notice this and what kind of psycho black man wouldn’t object to this?
But if I tell that obvious truth about the ongoing program of genocide against my race, the white race, Liberals and respectable conservatives agree that I am a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews.
They say they are anti-racist. What they are is anti-white.
Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.

[Ivan]

If the GOP blocks a just and comprehensive overhaul of the nations' immigration laws, they can kiss any chance of ever winning a national election goodbye.
Demographics is destiny and the math simply doesn't add up for the GOP. There aren't enough angry old white males to vote other angry old white males into office.
And how would the GOP expect minorities (Latinos, Asians, etc.) to hear their message when they want to deport their abuelita, son, counsin, etc.
Get it done! No more ifs, buts and listening to the rightwing extremists and crazies on the issue!
No human is illegal! GET IT DONE!