The Senate immigration reform bill is as close to amnesty as the Senate dares to make it, but it could be even worse. The majority of Americans already prefer the House "enforcement-only" bill over the Senate approach by a 2-to-1 margin. Yet some in the Senate doggedly cling to the hope of granting amnesty and citizenship to the estimated twelve million illegals currently living in the US.

Of course it's amnesty -- what else can it be when penalties for illegal entry, forgery, tax evasion, identity theft, misuse and theft of government services, social security fraud and dozens of other crimes are waived? Where is the amnesty for American criminals? Surely there's too many of them to catch and imprison all at once, which is the excuse for not enforcing our immigration laws.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced an amendment to the Senate bill that would have given amnesty and a direct path to US citizenship to anyone who could prove that they were in the country before the beginning of 2006. Among all the amendments and surprises hidden in the bill, this would have been the worst. Illegals would have been given an "orange card" that would allow them to stay in the US while their citizenship is processed, unlike the millions of law-abiding foreigners who wait patiently in their home countries for permission to emigrate, even temporarily. The amendment was defeated, but garnered 37 votes. One Republican actually voted in favor of the amendment, and two Republicans didn't bother to vote at all.

The following Senators voted to reward foreign lawbreakers with amnesty and citizenship:

Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Joe Biden (D-DE)
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Mark Dayton (D-MN)
Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Richard Durbin (D-IL) - Co-sponsor
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) - Proposed bill
Tom Harkin (D-IA) - Co-sponsor
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Jim Jeffords (I-VT)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Ted Kennedy (D-MA) - Co-sponsor
John Kerry (D-MA) - Co-sponsor
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Pat Leahy (D-VT)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Barack Obama (D-IL) - Co-sponsor
Jack Reed (D-RI) - Co-sponsor
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Ken Salazar (D-CO)
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
 
Michael Enzi (R-WY) - did not vote
John Rockefeller (D-WV) - did not vote

Some of these Senators are up for re-election this November, and the voters in those states could send no more powerful message than removing each and every one of the following from office:

Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)