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The Senate immigration reform bill yesterday died in the Senate when supporters failed to muster the 60 votes needed to end debate on the measure. The bill’s widely-reported demise on a 46-53 vote was portrayed by the media as a defeat for President Bush, who was unable to persuade more than 12 members of his own party to support it.

The story was the lead on CBS, and was reported prominently by the NBC and ABC, garnering a combined 11 and a half minutes of network tv coverage. The CBS Evening News reported, “The Senate killed the immigration overhaul. And members of the President’s own party deserted him.” A “new CBS News poll shows only 13% of Americans thought the Senate should pass the bill. 35% said no.” (more…)

President Bush, scrambling to salvage his broad immigration bill that’s in peril before a crucial test vote, called senators early Thursday morning to rally support. Republicans and Democrats could put the brakes on the bipartisan plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants Thursday, after the measure’s roller-coaster ride through a Senate deeply divided over the issue. Conservative critics call the bill a grant of amnesty, while some Democrats are concerned it could separate families and leave a new group of temporary workers vulnerable to exploitation.

Supporters point to the bill’s tougher border security and workplace enforcement measures, along with an immediate infusion of $4.4 billion to pay for them, as reasons to keep the legislation alive.

Bush, who has made an unusual personal push to persuade key waverers to back the bill - one of his top domestic priorities - was on the phone with senators on Thursday morning after making calls Wednesday night to argue his case, said Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman. (more…)

The growing influx of full-fee paying Indian students is reaping rich dividends for Australia. India is now the second largest source of overseas students and a significant contributor to Australia’s international education market, which is worth A $9.8 billion to the national economy. In the last one year, as many as 40,010 Indian students have enrolled in Australian educational institutions - 55 per cent growth from the previous year, according to Australian Education International (AEI).

At a recent international forum on Australia-India relations held at Sydney University, Indian High Commissioner to Australia Prabhat Shukla said, “India has world class international institutions, but Indians will continue to look abroad for further studies because the demand outstrips supply.”

A strong case has been put forth to establish an Indian centre of learning at the university that would encompass Indian languages, art, culture and history. (more…)

The fate of a major immigration bill faces rocky times in the U.S. Senate but the White House is confident it will survive, The Washington Times said Tuesday. Debate on the bill was ended by a bipartisan vote three weeks ago but has been brought back for debate with about 24 amendments agreed upon by majority Democrats and also Republicans at the insistence of U.S. President George Bush. Monday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joel Kaplan told reporters Bush feels there will be sufficient supporting Senate votes to keep debate on the bill and its amendments.

In order to continue debate without a filibuster, 60 senators must vote in favor of debate. The Times said it learned about 32 senators were prepared to block the bill.

If the bill survives debate Tuesday, it would likely be brought up again on Thursday, facing the same 60-vote obstacle. (more…)

President Bush’s hopes for passing an immigration law rested Monday on a fragile compromise rescued from near death to make another appearance on the Senate floor this week. The president is urging lawmakers to “summon the courage,” declaring in his weekly radio address that “the status quo is unacceptable.” The week begins with votes on a series of amendments followed by a procedural vote that determines if the compromise language has the 60 votes needed to keep moving toward final passage. The outcome is too close to call.

The measure would tighten borders, require workplace verification and create a guest worker program. It also would lay out a way by which the estimated 12 million people illegally in the U.S. could gain legal status and work toward citizenship.

But Bush faces dissension from fellow Republicans who demand better border security and oppose any policy that suggests amnesty for undocumented immigrants. (more…)

June 22 (Bloomberg) — Procedural snares and “killer” amendments threaten to disrupt the fragile coalition in the Senate that’s holding together the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration policy since 1986. Supporters are scrambling to address the legislative obstacles before debate resumes next week. Opponents plan to try to derail the legislation by using procedural delays and offering poison-pill amendments that may split the coalition which sustains the measure.

Passage of the legislation would give 12 million undocumented immigrants a chance at legal status while handing President George W. Bush a victory on his top domestic priority.

“This is a delicate balance. The wheels could come off,” said Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican. (more…)

An on-again, off-again immigration bill embraced by President Bush is back on - at least for a while - as Senate leaders prepare to resume debate on the volatile measure, possibly beginning as early as Friday. Here’s a refresher course. QUESTION: What’s the outlook for the Senate bill? ANSWER: The Senate could begin debate as early as Friday, possibly working through the weekend, with a final vote expected next week after senators consider at least 20 amendments, almost evenly divided among Democrats and Republicans. The outlook for passage remains uncertain, although Bush and the White House are mounting an intensive lobbying effort behind the bill, which the president considers his top domestic priority.

Q: Let’s start with the basics. Why is immigration such a hot issue?

A: The robust U.S. economy has lured millions of immigrants - largely from Mexico and other Latin American countries - in numbers that vastly eclipse the number of visas available. Many businesses are dependent on the flow of illegal labor to fill chronic shortages, while many grass-roots Americans are resentful, saying illegal immigrants pose a multibillion-dollar drain on social services and take jobs that should go to Americans. (more…)

The best and last chance to tackle immigration before the 2008 elections looms just ahead in the Senate, which is expected to resume debate on legislation this week that still has plenty of opponents on both the left and the right. That’s why it’s more important than ever for the bipartisan coalition of supporters in the middle, including Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, to keep the focus on the big picture even as they give ground around the edges. Opponents of the legislation who keep labeling it amnesty for illegal immigrants are misleading the public and missing the point. The path to citizenship for illegal immigrants would not be a free ride; it would take many years and thousands of dollars. Those who demand that the 12-million illegal immigrants who are already in this country be sent packing are out of touch with reality, and defeating this reasonable attempt to start crafting a solution now would only make it more difficult to address later.

The bill stalled two weeks ago because of failures of leadership by both Republicans and Democrats. In his weakened political state, President Bush could not keep members of his own party in line for legislation he supports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., grew too impatient too quickly when he pulled the bill after a failed vote to end debate. (more…)

When the Ahatov family of Uzbekistan won the lottery, they didn’t become millionaires. They became Texans. The Ahatov family was randomly selected among hundreds of thousands of applicants to a U.S. government program aimed at diversifying the nation’s immigrants by granting permanent residency to eligible residents from countries with low levels of immigration to the United States. The Diversity Visa program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, each year grants about 50,000 people worldwide a chance at the American dream.

Like any other lottery, the winner’s reaction is typically characterized by the same incredulous facial expressions, followed by exuberant shouts and jumping for joy. After 15 years of trying their luck at the grand prize, such behavior accurately describes the Ahatovs’ response upon hearing they’d finally won.

The four, who arrived in Waco three weeks ago, are contemplating their new life while staying at a cozy ranch house on the outskirts of McLennan County. They are staying with local physician Tim Welter and his wife, Jo, a member of Waco’s Community Race Relations Committee. (more…)

The immigration bill is scheduled to make its reappearance in the Senate by the end of this week but the outlook for its future depends on who you ask. Even with a deal to bring the measure back for more debate, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said Sunday that he was not sure that it would ultimately clear the Senate. “It is a mixed picture,” Mr. McConnell said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” as he laid out the pros and cons of the legislation from the Republican perspective. “It’s hard to know whether the votes will be there to pass it.”

But Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the chief Republican authors of the proposal that has divided the party, predicted success. “If we got to a final vote, there would be a bipartisan majority, because this is a comprehensive approach to a problem that’s been lingering for 20 years,” Mr. Graham said on ABC’s “This Week.” “To my Republican colleagues, this is the best deal we’re ever going to get.” When and how the bill will reemerge is also a little unclear. The Senate has an energy bill to dispose of first, and Senate leaders are considering a range of arcane procedural tactics to assure they retain full control of the floor fight against a concerted effort by conservative Republicans to derail the measure. (more…)

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