Criminal Deportees on Path to Citizenship

This is completely insane.

Senate OKs amnesty for deportees

The Senate voted yesterday to grant amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who have already been caught and ordered deported but are defying a court order, preserving their path to citizenship as part of the immigration bill.

Another showdown is scheduled for this morning on Democrats' effort to cut off the debate and force a final vote on the bill. Republicans have vowed to block that through a filibuster unless they are given assurances they can offer enough amendments before the final vote.

For now, the small bipartisan group of senators that crafted the bill behind closed doors has been successful in fending off any major changes, though the coalition took a couple of hits from Republican-sponsored amendments last night.

Yesterday's major fight was over part of the bill that wipes out the immigration charges against illegal aliens who have already faced a judge and been ordered deported, known as alien absconders, and over part of the bill that applies to aliens who have already been deported but sneaked back into the country again.

Sen John Cornyn offered an amendment to prevent those aliens from gaining legal status, arguing they have already shown disrespect for the law and should be sent home.

"We are going to continue to be viewed as non-serious about workability, about enforcement, about restoring respect for the rule of law, unless we vote to exclude those who show nothing but defiance for our laws," the Texas Republican said.

But Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, said they were only guilty of "common, garden-variety immigration offenses" that should not disqualify them.

"Our employers beg them to come back and our broken borders make that possible," he said.

You know anything supported by that drunken bum from Massachusetts is a horrible idea.

UPDATE: The indefatigable Michelle Malkin is liveblogging Shamnesty again today. And get a load of the Lindsay Graham tantrum over at Hot Air. My two-year-old laughs at him.