Frist: "house democrats are to blame for felony provision" immigration

[ourbluenation]

Democrats to Blame for Felony Provision

by Sen. Bill Frist
Posted Apr 12, 2006
The following statement was issued to clarify the felony provision in H.R. 4437.

America is a nation with borders and borders matter. We are a nation of citizens and citizenship matters. We are also a nation of laws and laws matter. We have an important immigrant heritage and honoring that heritage matters.

In December, the House of Representatives passed a strong border security bill aimed at securing our borders and preventing illegal immigration.

However, on December 16, 2005, there were 191 House Democrats who voted to oppose House Republican efforts to reduce the crime of unlawful presence in the United States from a felony to a misdemeanor. Instead, they voted to make felons out of all of those who remain in our country illegally.

While we are disappointed with the House Democrats’ lack of compassion and the continued efforts by Senator Reid to block action on immigration legislation so that Congress can proceed to conference, it remains our intent to produce a strong border security bill that will not make unlawful presence in the United States a felony.

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?print=yes&id=13986

[ourbluenation]

1. " we are disappointed with the House Democrats’ lack of compassion"

Unbefrigginlievable

[Squeech]

2. Of course

The Repukes wrote this bill, and have every intention of re-inserting the felony provision when we get it to the conference committee, but the DEMS ARE GUILTY OF TAKING US AT OUR WORD! HOW DARE THEY!

Fuck you, Cat Killer.

[ourbluenation]

4. he's making it seem like the dems opposed reducing felony to misdemeanor

like they wanted it to remain a felony! It's so spinniful his head may just spin right off his body if he's not careful! But this is the new talking point - I've read it twice already on rightie boards.

[TahitiNut]

3. Current law makes a first offense a misdemeanor and a 2nd a felony.

I favor pardons for those who provide material evidence leading to the conviction of an employer. :shrug:

[Rose Siding]

5. He's the clown who blamed Democrats for the deficit

He'll say anything.

[boobooday]

6. Wah! Wah! We're in charge of everything!

And the people are starting to notice how incompetent and unethical we are!

God, I feel SO sorry for Dr. Frist. :nopity:

[MissB]

7. This isn't just Frist. This is GOP: see this LBN link!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2226567

[ourbluenation]

9. I saw that and thought how can they spin it to blame dems...now we know

Paging Dr. Dean. Stat.

[Skip Intro]

8. Frist tells a bald-faced LIE - ALL Dems voted NO on bill passage:

frist sez:
--------
However, on December 16, 2005, there were 191 House Democrats who voted to oppose House Republican efforts to reduce the crime of unlawful presence in the United States from a felony to a misdemeanor. Instead, they voted to make felons out of all of those who remain in our country illegally.
--------

but ALL House Democrats voted AGAINST the measure:
--------
Official Title: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4437) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to strengthen enforcement of the immigration laws, to enhance border security, and for other purposes.

Status: Passed House (96% of Republicans supporting, 100% of Democrats opposing.)
This resolution has been passed in the House, which is the end of the legislative process for simple resolutions. The resolution now takes effect.
Introduced: Dec 14, 2005
Last Action: Dec 15, 2005: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 206
Sponsor: Rep. John Gingrey

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hr109-610
--------

Democrats did NOT vote to make felons out of illegals...

[ourbluenation]

13. Skip - I don't think that's the amendment in question.

[ourbluenation]

14. Here's the amendment

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2005-655

House Vote 655: Dec 16, 2005 (109th Congress)

Amendment sought to reduce the maximum sentences in the bill for illegal entry and unlawful presence to six months.

This information comes from the U.S. House website, an official source for voting records.
Failed: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Amendment 19 to H R 4437

View Bill Status: H.R. 4437: Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005
Geographic Voting Pattern
Totals
Ayes: 164 (38%)
Nays: 257 (59%)
Not Voting: 12 (3%)
Required: 1/2

Party Breakdown
Democrat Republican Independent
Aye 8 156 0
Nay 191 65 1
Absent 3 9 0

[Skip Intro]

15. but he says Dems voted to make illegals felons, when they voted against

passage of the bill unanimously.

I don't know, maybe I'm confused.

effin' repuke liars just get my blood to boiling sometimes, especially with something so blatantly misleading

Democrats did not vote, in the end, to make felons of illegals, in fact Dems voted unanimously against passage of the bill containing that very provision...

:mad:

[ourbluenation]

16. as far as I can tell the sensennbrenner amendment would have

reduced the penalty from a felony to a misdemeanor. Not because he had a change of heart on his hardline stance, but because it would have accompished the same thing without a jury trial. My hunch is the dems saw right thru it, and voted against it for tactical reasons.

[onenote]

17. actually, that's not the vote on passage

That's the vote on the "rule" for considering the legislation. The "rule" describes the amount of time for debate, whether/what amendments may be considered, etc. Its an essential step in the legislative process, but its not the vote on passage.

The vote on the Sensenbrenner amendment to reduce the penalty from felony to misdemenor was 164 ayes, 257 nays (12 not voting), with 165 repubs and 8 dems for the amendment and 65 repubs and 191 dems against. The reason the dems voted against was that they opposed the bill with either a felony or a misdemenor provision. Funny thing...if 65 repubs had voted for the amendment it would've passed, so why isn't Frist criticizing those repubs for preventing the amendment from passing?

On final passage, the vote was 239 ayes, 182 nays, 13 not voting. There were 203 repub votes for passage, only 17 against. 36 dems voted for, but 164 voted against.

By the way, the sponsor of the Amendment, Sensenbrenner, made it quite clear that his motivation for reducing the penalty from a felony to a misdemenor was purely practical, not based on any sense of what was "fair":

Here's what he said:

"The administration subsequently requested the penalty for these crimes be lowered to 6 months. Making the first offense a felony, as the base bill would do, would require a grand jury indictment, a trial before a district court judge and a jury trial. Also because it is a felony, the defendant would be able to get a lawyer at public expense if the defendant could not afford the lawyer. These requirements would mean that the government would seldom if ever actually use the new penalties. By leaving these offenses as misdemeanors, more prosecutions are likely to be brought against those aliens whose cases merit criminal prosecution."

The Democrats who spoke against the amendment spoke out against the criminalization of the behavior in question, while Sensenbrenner defended criminalizing it.

onenote

[spanone]

they also claim that Reid killed the bill truth is the thugs were ready

to filibuster....wow, didn't hear much of that on the news now did we??

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060406-124606-5360r.htm

I hate to qoute the Wash. Times, but there it is.

[0007]

10. When are they gonna come and arrest this schmuck for stealing

and lying?

I'm so tired of listening to his made up fantasies.

[stop the bleeding]

11. hey Fristtard looky here:

[Roland99]

12. Mr. Fristian, oh your time has come

And you know that you're the only one to say
Okay

Where you goin', what you looking for?
You know those Dems don't want to play no games with you
It's true

(You're) motoring
What's your price for crime,
And fighting what is right?
You'll be voted out this time.

[onenote]

18. Sensenbrenner was not motivated by compassion - quite the opposite

Frist's claim that the Democrats acted without compassion is a total smear,especially in light of the fact that Sensenbrenner was not motivated by compassion in the slightest when he offered his amendment. He was afraid, among other things, that if unlawful presence was made a felony, it would be harder to bring legal action and illegals accused of this crime would have a right to a lawyer a public expense." What an asswipe.

Here's exactly what Sensenbrenner said on the floor of the HOuse:
"Making the first offense a felony, as the base bill would do, would require a grand jury indictment, a trial before a district court judge and a jury trial. Also because it is a felony, the defendant would be able to get a lawyer at public expense if the defendant could not afford the lawyer. These requirements would mean that the government would seldom if ever actually use the new penalties. By leaving these offenses as misdemeanors, more prosecutions are likely to be brought against those aliens whose cases merit criminal prosecution."

onenote

[ourbluenation]

19. thanks onenote - it's infuriating isn't it? eom

[onenote]

20. what's infuriating is that the media will never quote Sensenbrenner

[catmandu57]

21. They own the government

They could pass any damn thing they want, we can't even keep nazis off the bench. I wish people would realize this, the democratic party is powerless to stop anything the pukes really want.