The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007
The bill was a compromise based largely on three previous failed immigration reform bills:
The bill's sole sponsor in the Senate was Majority Leader Harry Reid, though it was crafted in large part as a result of efforts by Senators Kennedy, McCain and Kyl, along with Senator Lindsey Graham, and input from President George W. Bush, who strongly supported the bill. For that reason it was referred to in the press by various combinations of these five men's names, most commonly "Kennedy–Kyl". A larger group of senators was involved in creating the bill, sometimes referred to as the 'Gang of 12'.[1] Senator David Vitter of Louisiana led the opposition to the bill, clashing with McCain and Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.[2]
At the same time, the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007 was being considered in the United States House of Representatives, although to considerably less public attention.
On June 7, three Senate votes on cloture (a move to end discussion) for the bill failed with the first losing 33–63, the second losing 34–61 and the third losing 45–50.[3] This had been thought by some observers to signal the end of the bill's chances, since on that day, after the first failing vote, Harry Reid had told reporters that, if another vote on cloture failed, "the bill's over with. The bill's gone."[4]
However, at the urging of President Bush, the bill was brought back for discussion in the Senate as bill S. 1639 on June 25.[5] On June 26, a motion to proceed passed the Senate, by a margin of 64–35 (under Senate rules it needed 60 votes).[6] A number of amendments to the bill were considered and rejected. On June 28, the bill failed to get the 60 votes necessary to end debate. The final cloture vote lost, 46–53.[7] This effectively ended its chances, and President Bush said he was disappointed at Congress's failure to act on the issue.[8]
Criticism[edit]
The bills received heated criticism from both the right wing and the left wing. Conservatives rejected providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, as it would reward them for disregarding United States immigration laws. Liberals criticized the points-based system and provisions limiting family reunification visas available to only nuclear family members of US citizens as unfair. Labor unions, human rights, and some Hispanic organizations attacked the guest workers program, claiming that it would create a group of underclass workers with no benefits.[13] Another criticism of the guest workers program was that because each guest worker is required to return home for a year before renewing his or her visa, these workers would instead overstay their visa, becoming illegal immigrants.
High-tech industry criticized the point-based green card system for scrapping employer sponsorship of green card applications and eliminating priority processing for the highly skilled workers specifically selected by the U.S. employers.[14] Many immigration practitioners, while supporting aspects of the proposal, criticized the bill as "unworkable" and called for fundamentally revising it.[15]
Critics of the bill in the U.S. Senate also complained that the Senate consideration of the bill did not follow the usual procedure, as the bill did not go through the committee debate and approval process and the opportunities to offer floor amendments were limited.[16][17]
Film[edit]
"Last Best Chance", story 12 in How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories, a documentary series from filmmaking team Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini, centers around Ted Kennedy's efforts to pass the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007. The film premiered on HBO as "The Senators' Bargain" on March 24, 2010, and was featured in the 2010 Human Rights Watch Film Festival at Lincoln Center. Since its release the film has become an important resource for advocates, policy-makers and educators.[18]