thestate.com
WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to defeat a bid by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., to strip from the immigration bill provisions allowing undocumented foreigners to gain legal status and remain in the United States indefinitely.
DeMint’s amendment to eliminate the controversial new “Z visa” from the measure split Senate Republicans almost in half, with 20 voting for the amendment and 25 opposing it.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who helped craft the broader legislation, was among the Republicans who voted against the DeMint amendment.
Nine Democratic senators backed the amendment, with 39 voting against it. Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, both independents, also opposed the amendment.
In an intense debate before the 66-29 vote, senators accused DeMint of trying to gut the massive measure by removing a core component.
See How Your Senator Voted Below on Amnesty for Illegal Aliens
NAYs ---66 Senators Who Voted to Keep Amnesty in Bill (Called the Z Visa)
Akaka (D-HI)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burr (R-NC)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Clinton (D-NY)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Durbin (D-IL)
Ensign (R-NV)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Graham (R-SC) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inouye (D-HI)
Isakson (R-GA) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Kennedy (D-MA) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL) Helped Create Amensty Bill
McCain (R-AZ) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Menendez (D-NJ) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV) Helped Create Amnesty Bill
Salazar (D-CO) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Sanders (I-VT)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA) Helped Create Amensty Bill
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
YEAs ---29 Senators Who Voted Against Amensty in Bill (Called the Z Visa)
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Byrd (D-WV)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Enzi (R-WY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Landrieu (D-LA)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY) Helped Create Amnesty Bill. Appears he will support final Amensty Bill.
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Sununu (R-NH)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Not Voting - 5 Senators Who Were Hiding
Brownback (R-KS) Usually Supports Amnesty for Illegal Aliens.
Hatch (R-UT) Inventor of the Dream Act that is buried in this larger Amnesty Bill. Awards In-State College Tuition to Illegal Aliens, Not available to U.S. Citizens or Legal Residents.
Johnson (D-SD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Thomas (R-WY)