Senate GOP fails to bring up immigration bill

December 5, 2012 @ 1:00 pm

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked Republicans from bringing up an immigration bill offering permanent residence visas for foreigners with advanced degrees that passed the House last week despite the opposition of most Democrats.

Senate Republican John Cornyn of Texas sought unanimous consent to consider the bill that provides some 55,000 green cards a year to those with masters and doctorate degrees from U.S. colleges in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"We all know that America's immigration system is broken, but in particular by driving away highly skilled foreign workers who want to start businesses and create jobs right here in America," he said.

New York's Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democratic leader on immigration policies, objected to Cornyn's request. Schumer said Democrats support creating so-called STEM visas and he has a proposal to do that. "But what we don't do is take away other visas or add in other extraneous positions."

House Republicans turned to their STEM bill as a way to show Hispanics, who deserted them in the November election, that they are serious about immigration legislation. But it met strong opposition from Democrats because it eliminated another visa program that benefits less-educated people, particularly from Africa. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus said Republicans were trying to pick winners and losers among different people who want to gain permanent residency.

The Republican bill would also have made it easier for the spouses and families of people with green cards to enter the United States while they wait for their own green card applications to be approved.

The STEM bill is seen as an opening skirmish as Congress and the White House plan for writing comprehensive immigration legislation next year dealing with both legal immigrants and the estimated 11 million living in the country illegally.


(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (4)


  • Add A Comment

  • longwayhome wrote...
    Now they want change!
    November 11, 2012 6:52 pm
    After the "trouncing" the republicans got across the board on Tues. they are changing their (minds) word used with caution, to try and get the American people to think they are ready to change their spots. Not so fast. You republicans have some mending of fences that must come first. The voters will not forget who was a staunch republican last week and a Democrat this week, it doesn't work that way. Voters have gotten much wiser since the republicans ruined this country during the horrific bush years, it's going to take a long time to heal up from that debacle of mistakes, but the Democrats will do their best to fix most of the wrong doings of the ignorant and self serving republicans.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    Wrongway, I've always been pro-immigration.
    November 30, 2012 6:25 am
    Allowing more highly educated immigrants is a step in the right direction BUT we need to expand all immigration (and provide a viable guest worker program) so those who WANT to come here and work have more opportunities.

    On the other hand, one thing I would do is eliminate this lottery 'recruiting' of peoples from wide parts of the world just for the sake of diversity. ... Certainly not open borders, but a more logical system like we had when most of our southern and eastern European ancestors came 100 years ago.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    BTW:
    November 30, 2012 6:28 am
    What sense does it make to 'recruit' an immigrant from, say, the Ukraine, if the fist thing you include in their welcome kit is instructions to get SSI assistance and other welfare ?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    Hispanic voters?
    November 29, 2012 3:33 pm
    Legal or illegal?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }