OLDEST IRISH AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN USA, ESTABLISHED IN 1928
Category: Archive

Judiciary reshuffle raises reform questions

February 17, 2011

By Staff Reporter

“Senator Kennedy’s decision to step down from the judiciary committee is a huge loss for immigration reform advocates,” Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform executive director, Kelly Fincham, said in a statement.
“He has been a true lion in defending the rights of the vulnerable and a stalwart champion for immigrants across America,” said Fincham.
“He understands the Irish community and often referred to his own family’s immigration from Wexford at the many ILIR rallies he spoke at.
“He has been a mentor and a giant for our campaign. We will miss him enormously,” she said.
In the meantime, we look forward to working with incoming chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy, another great American who traces his family roots back to Ireland,” Fincham said.
Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, has vacated his seat on both the committee and subcommittee in order to focus his efforts in the incoming 111th Congress on health care reform.
Kennedy is not the only Irish American legislator departing the judiciary committee. Senator Joe Biden has to quit his committee posts as a result of being elected vice president. Biden, too, has been sitting on the immigration subcommittee.
On the Democratic side there are still three members of the subcommittee, senators Dianne Feinstein, Charles Schumer and Richard Durbin. All are viewed as being “sound” on the immigration reform issue.
The four current Republican members are John Cornyn, Charles Grassley, Jon Kyl and Jeff Sessions.
The Republicans generally viewed as being most friendly towards the reform are sitting on the full judiciary panel, but not the subcommittee.
They include senators Arlen Specter, Lindsey Graham and Sam Brownback.
Irish campaigners will be closely watching to see who fills the Democratic vacancies. Not all Democrats in the Senate are gung-ho reformers when it comes to immigration.
Some, especially those who consider themselves so-called “blue dog” Democrats or those who come from states where Democrats lack a decisive majority are reluctant if not openly critical of any moves towards truly comprehensive reform.
Senator Leahy, by contrast, is seen as being full on board the reform train. He supported the ultimately unsuccessful McCain/Kennedy reform bill in the outgoing congress and recently discussed the visa situation for the Irish and the plight of the undocumented with Irish government while on a visit to Ireland recently as part of a trade delegation from his home state, Vermont.
Meanwhile, President Bush has singled out failure to secure immigration reform as one of the big disappointments of his two terms in office.
Speaking recently to Charlie Gibson of ABC News, Bush said that not securing reform had been a “great disappointment” to him.
“I firmly believe that the immigration debate really didn’t show the true nature of America as a welcoming society,” Bush said.
Bush said that the debate had taken on a tone that had undermined the true greatness of America “which is we welcome people who want to work hard and support their families.”
Bush said that the immigration issue had been “very hot” for a period of time.
“Then the primaries ended and it wasn’t much of an issue in the general election.”
Immigration, he said, was a highly emotional issue.
“It’s always been a highly emotional issue throughout our history. I was disappointed we didn’t get a bill out of Congress. That’s where I was disappointed.”

Other Articles You Might Like

Sign up to our Daily Newsletter

Click to access the login or register cheese