All signs point to a major battle over an "Amnesty
Plus" bill later this year or early in 2010.
U.S. Border Security Council sources report that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is pressuring the White House to make an
Amnesty bill a top priority and to pursue its passage with the same tenacity as the President has exhibited in battles over
stimulus spending and health care reform.
"The administration may be starting to have second thoughts about the President's campaign promise to push an Amnesty
bill this year," explains Executive Director Brice Griffin. "The White House knows it is in for the fight
of its life over this issue and it may not want to pick this fight right now.
"However," Griffin explains, "Amnesty supporters have been shuttling
back and forth between the White House and Capitol Hill, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus fully expects the White House
to get behind the bill very, very soon. I would be surprised if President Obama let them down despite some misgivings
from some of his advisors about pushing an Amnesty bill while the nation's unemployment rate is soaring."
High unemployment may be the only reason the President
hasn't already started campaigning for an Amnesty bill. "Many members of Congress are rightfully scared about having
to vote on an Amnesty bill," Griffin says. "They are terrified about allowing illegal aliens to legally steal
the jobs of their constituents. The economy is the number one issue in the country and Americans won't put up with granting
Amnesty to a bunch of lawbreakers."
The U.S. Border Security Council has spent the last several months preparing for a knock-down, drag-out battle over immigration.
The Council has already launched several national petition
campaigns aimed at defeating Amnesty.
The efforts target everyone from state governors who will have to find money in their already tight state budgets to support
an influx of illegals, to individual Members of Congress.
"We are in the middle of compiling a list of possible swing voters to target," says Griffin.
"This list will be critically important when debate begins on Amnesty in Congress. A handful of politicians,
especially in the Senate, could decide the fate of any Amnesty effort.
"Overall, I think the Council is very well prepared for this upcoming battle,"
Griffin says confidently. "Whether it is this year or next year, we are going to defeat Amnesty again."