The Senate yesterday easily approved an immigration bill that allows 10 million illegal aliens to become citizens, doubles the flow of legal immigration each year and will cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $54 billion over the next 10 years.

The leaders of both parties hailed the 62-36 passage as a historic success

Majority Leader Bill Frist said the vote represented the “very best” of the Senate.”This is a success for the American people,” the Tennessee Republican said. “It is a success for people who hope to participate someday in that American dream.”

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The 62-36 roll call by which the Senate yesterday passed a broad immigration-reform bill. Voting “yes” were 38 Democrats, 23 Republicans and one independent. Voting “no” were 32 Republicans and four Democrats.

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-Amnesty: 10 million illegals can apply for citizenship.
-Border security: Adds 370 miles of triple-wire fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers;  adds 3,000 Border Patrol agents this year
-Employers: No penalties for businesses that hired illegals

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While seeing the Congress work in a bipartisan way toward a comprehensive immigration strategy is quite encouraging, I just don’t think this particular bill has what it takes to stem illegal immigration, while encouraging people to come into the United States in a lawful manner

Congress should’ve taken up immigration enforcement first and focused on guest worker provisions at a later period. The reality is that our borders are nowhere near as secure as they should be and border patrol agents are in dire need of additional personnel and new equipment to secure it. This bill, while offering hundreds of miles of fencing and a projected number of new border patrol agents, does not go far enough. We must secure the border with a universal fence (where possible) and allow the National Guard to do law enforcement duties under the control of state governors.

This bill also does not do enough to penalize employers who hire illegal aliens. In fact, this bill does nearly nothing to that affect. Employers must realize it is unlawful to hire illegal aliens in the first place and should have to confirm Social Security numbers before hiring immigrants. This would cut down on document fraud and unlawful workers.

As I’ve said before, the borders must be secure, first and foremost. This immigration compromise in the Senate does not go far enough in dealing with illegal immigration and a fight in conference between the House and the Senate is a foregone conclusion. The House must take a hard line on the immigration issue, forcing the government to secure the border.

Townhall.com has more about the bill:

-Urging the hiring of 1,000 more Border Patrol agents this year and 14,000 by 2011.
-Endorsing Bush’s plan for a short-term deployment of National Guard troops to states along the border with Mexico.
-Calling for the construction of 370 miles of fencing on the border.
-The guest worker program would admit 200,000 individuals a year. They eventually could apply for a green card, which confers legal permanent residency.