This from Powerline:
Sen. John Cornyn's amendment to the Senate immigration bill, which would have prevented felons from obtaining legal status, was defeated today on a 51-46 vote. My understanding is that most observers considered Cornyn's challenge to the compromise to be the most likely to derail it.
Bob Novak writes that there are only around 30 conservative Senators opposing the bill, with Jon Kyl, Johnny Isakson, Trent Lott and Saxby Chambliss, all of whom opposed last year's bill, supporting the current version.
Meanwhile, Rasmussen reports that public support for the compromise package is slipping. Currently, only 23% support the bill, with 50% opposed. When given the alternatives of enacting the present bill and doing nothing, 49% prefer to do nothing, compared to 32% who favor passage of McCain-Kennedy.
And this from Yahoo News:
The underlying bill would legalize an estimated 12 million unlawful immigrants, tighten border security and institute new enforcement measures to prevent employers from hiring illegal workers.
After his defeat, Cornyn said those who voted against the proposal "failed to take an opportunity to help restore public confidence that we're actually serious about passing an immigration law that could actually work."
Many Americans will conclude instead that the bill's enforcement provisions will not be rigorously enforced, a problem that deeply undermined a 1986 immigration overhaul, he added.
That is indeed the problem.
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