Senate immigration bill stalls

The Senate immigration bill has been shelved:

The Senate sidetracked sweeping immigration legislation Friday, leaving in doubt prospects for passing a bill offering the hope of citizenship to millions of men, women and children living in the United States illegally. A carefully crafted compromise that supporters had claimed could win an overwhelming majority received only 38 of the 60 votes necessary to protect it from weakening amendments by opponents.Republicans were united in the 38-60 parliamentary vote but Democrats, who have insisted on no amendments, lost six votes from their members.Republicans were united in the 38-60 parliamentary vote but Democrats, who have insisted on no amendments, lost six votes from their members.Democrats and Republicans had been blaming each other Friday for problems stalling the progress of bill.

Republicans were united in the 38-60 parliamentary vote but Democrats, who have insisted on no amendments, lost six votes from their members.Democrats and Republicans had been blaming each other Friday for problems stalling the progress of bill.Scheduled votes to break the logjam failed and both supporters and opponents of the bill will have to wait until Congress returns from a two-week spring recess, if then.

“It’s not gone forward because there’s a political advantage for Democrats not to have an immigration bill,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

He said Democrats perceive a benefit in having only a GOP-written House bill that criminalizes being an illegal immigrant. That bill has prompted massive protests across the country, including a march by 500,000 people in Los Angeles last month.

Democrats blamed Republicans for insisting on amendments that would weaken a compromise that Senate leaders in both parties had celebrated Thursday.

“This opportunity is slipping through our hands like grains of sand,” said assistant Senate Democratic leader Dick Durbin of Illinois.

President Bush had applauded the Senate’s efforts to draft a comprehensive immigration bill. “I would encourage the members to work hard to get the bill done prior to the upcoming break,” he said Thursday.

See Right Wing News for more links and updates … think Senate Republicans are finally listening to their constituencies on this? Let’s hope so.

Fri PM Update: Michelle Malkin has some links of interest, including one that talks about the upcoming plans of the anti-borders crowd.

Related Toldjah So posts:

• High school baseball coach: “We gots 2 show the U.S. that they aint (expletive) with out us”
• Figures – Howard Dean accuses Republicans of “scapegoating” Hispanics
• Victor Davis Hanson on illegal immigration
• Clearing up the myths on the immigration reform bill
• Hanging our flag upside down, underneath the Mexican flag