The Washington Times
The Senate is bracing for its first fight over amnesty for illegal immigrants in nearly 10 years after the chamber's parliamentarian ruled that a debate over granting legal status to illegal agriculture workers will be allowed on the pending emergency spending bill.
The $81 billion spending bill covers costs associated with the war on terror, and the House already passed a version with provisions restricting asylum claims and cracking down on illegal immigrants' ability to use driver's licenses. The parliamentarian said those provisions open the door for Sen. Larry E. Craig, Idaho Republican, to offer as an amendment his bill, commonly called "Ag-jobs," to legalize the 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants now working in the agriculture industry.
Posted by Suzanne at April 1, 2005