Rand Paul BLOCKS Mike Lee's immigration bill

[Warlord]

Conservative senator blocks Mike Lee-Kamala Harris immigration reform bill

SALT LAKE CITY — A fellow conservative Republican dealt a blow to Sen. Mike Lee’s nearly nine-year effort to end what he calls a “Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley-era” aspect of federal immigration law.

The Utah Republican said it was “greatly disappointing" that Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s objection Thursday blocked his bill to end per-country caps on employment-based green cards from advancing by unanimous consent.

It only takes one objection under Senate rules to stop a request for unanimous consent to bring legislation forward.

Lee said an amendment Paul proposed would not be compatible with his bipartisan legislation and cause it to fail.

"This is by far the closest we have ever come to having a deal, and we’ve achieved that deal by keeping this bill focused on the very things this legislation deals with," Lee said. "We have an opportunity to pass this. This could pass this body right now."

Lee and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., introduced the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act in February, an issue Lee has worked on since being elected to the Senate in 2010. He called it an "important point of common ground" between Republicans and Democrats who can't agree on how to fix the country's immigration system.

Under current law, "rigid, arbitrary, antiquated, outdated" quotas limit immigrants in any given country to no more than 7 percent of the total number of visas allocated, Lee said on the Senate floor.

As a result, immigrants from nations with large populations have significantly longer wait times to get a green card than do immigrants from smaller countries.

"In some cases, they can be stuck in a backlog of green card petitions for decades," Lee said, calling the system "unfair" and "un-American."

"This is one of the many features of Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley-era immigration code that is outdated and needs to be cast into the dustbin of history," he said.

The bill would increase the per-country caps for family-sponsored green cards from 7% to 15%. Without adding any new green cards, it creates a first-come, first-served system that alleviates the backlogs and allows green cards to be awarded more efficiently, according to Lee.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article...and-paul-immigration-reform-bill-blocked.html

Are you happy that Rand blocked his friends bill?

 

[Brian4Liberty]

It is entirely consistent for Rand or Thomas Massie or Justin Amash to make sure that bills are not passed by unanimous consent and are instead voted upon. It's about being on record and accountability.

 

[Warlord]

It is entirely consistent for Rand or Thomas Massie or Justin Amash to make sure that bills are not passed by unanimous consent and are instead voted upon. It's about being on record and accountability.

In the article Brian it says Rand offered an amendment which would cause the bill to fail.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

As a result, immigrants from nations with large populations have significantly longer wait times to get a green card than do immigrants from smaller countries.

I.e. India and China. As Apu from The Simpson's famously said, "America is dangerously underpopulated". As an Indian programmer I once knew said to a Native American Indian, "you may have lost America, but don't worry, Indians will take it back."

 

[Brian4Liberty]

In the article Brian it says Rand offered an amendment which would cause the bill to fail.

You never know unless there is an actual vote.

 

[PAF]

Since most of the “news” sites continue to refrain from publishing bill numbers/links:


Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act

https://www.scribd.com/document/399...mmigrants-Act-Introduced-2-7-FINAL#from_embed

 

[Superfluous Man]

In the article Brian it says Rand offered an amendment which would cause the bill to fail.

What was in that amendment?

 

[TheTexan]

What was in that amendment?

If it would cause the bill to fail, then it was probably legalization of kitten kicking.

 

[specsaregood]

As a result, immigrants from nations with large populations have significantly longer wait times to get a green card than do immigrants from smaller countries.

But I thought diversity was our strength? If it is, then then caps strengthen us by increasing diversity.

 

[nikcers]

As big tech takes over our elections its probably good that we let foreigners come here and work for big tech while we simultaneously get rid of all of the employees that are politically to the right of Obama. What could possibri go wong?

 

[AdamL]

“Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley-era”

Truly one of the darkest times in our history. Back before we were blessed with easy access to tacos and cheap heroin and didn't even have the comfort of living in a multicultural, militarized police state.

And we had to listen to lame, wholesome white music like this:



Instead of cool, culturally enriching music like this:



It was horrible.

 

[devil21]

So the gist is that Mike Lee and Kamala Harris want more H1B immigrants (as Trump also has promised) but Rand blocked the bill.

 

[Superfluous Man]

So the gist is that Mike Lee and Kamala Harris want more H1B immigrants (as Trump also has promised) but Rand blocked the bill.

Rand wants more H1B visas too. So if he really wanted to block the bill (which is not necessarily the case), it was for another reason.

 

[nikcers]

Rand wants more H1B visas too. So if he really wanted to block the bill (which is not necessarily the case), it was for another reason.

What are you even implying? That Rand wants more H1B visas and that's why he wants his amendment added that wouldn't pass or that he wants people to be on record to vote on his amendment that would not pass or that he thinks that his amendment would pass even though Mike Lee says it wouldnt pass?

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Rand wants more H1B visas too. ...

That’s like, your opinion, man. Source and context?

 

[Superfluous Man]

What are you even implying? That Rand wants more H1B visas and that's why he wants his amendment added that wouldn't pass or that he wants people to be on record to vote on his amendment that would not pass or that he thinks that his amendment would pass even though Mike Lee says it wouldnt pass?

No. I don't know what was in the amendment or why he offered it, which was why I asked.

 

[Warlord]

Rand Paul is the only person standing up for us in Washington. Imagine if he wasn't there.. they would double H1B Visa's from India. It would be devastating to the tech workforce.

 

[RJB]

As Apu from The Simpson's famously said, "America is dangerously underpopulated".

All aboard!

 

[Superfluous Man]

That’s like, your opinion, man. Source and context?

It's not an opinion. And it's not a new or unknown factoid. We've talked about it here before. The anti-H1B crowd has criticized him for it. Maybe you were among them, I don't know.

Here he is listed as a cosponsor for the 2017 version of this bill. I'm not sure what the differences between that iteration and this one are, or if that might explain why Rand offered whatever amendment he did. But regardless, it was definitely a bill to increase H1B visas.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/281/cosponsors

In a plan that he laid out in 2013 he said, "High tech visas would also be expanded and have a priority."
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/...ch-immigration-reform/83SaSlT120cHDP2fLLepfO/

Here he is in 2018 calling for a doubling of EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5 visas (not the same thing I know, but similar, and consistent with wanting more H1Bs).
https://diyatvusa.com/2018/02/25/ex...-coalition-to-help-those-in-green-card-limbo/

 

[Superfluous Man]

Rand Paul is the only person standing up for us in Washington. Imagine if he wasn't there.. they would double H1B Visa's from India. It would be devastating to the tech workforce.

Are you under the impression that Rand doesn't support doubling H1B Visas from India?