CNSNews.com - Harry Reid Vows Action on ‘Comprehensive’ Immigration Bill That Includes Amnesty

CNSNews.com - Harry Reid Vows Action on ‘Comprehensive’ Immigration Bill That Includes Amnesty

(CNSNews.com) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) vowed Monday that the Senate would consider a “comprehensive” immigration reform bill that would include giving amnesty to illegal aliens—an item he referred to as “bringing the 11 million people out of the shadows.”



Reid said that Senate consideration of a massive new immigration bill would come after the Senate dealt with the health-care issue and energy.

The Senate is now looking at a national health-care plan being promoted by President Obama and legislation that would cap carbon emissions in the United States in the name of fighting “climate change.”

“I know that I talked to the White House, recognizing they were going to have a meeting, and gave them my ideas as to what should be the lay of the land on immigration,” Reid told reporters on Monday.

“I said in this room last week that I've got to do health care, I've got to do energy, and then I'm looking very closely at doing immigration,” Reid continued.

“I think it's something that we have to do. It's important,” Reid said. “I've outlined to you on a number of different occasions what I think should be in the legislation. I think it's extremely important for our country. We have an immigration system that's broken and needs repair.

“I’m going to do comprehensive immigration reform,” said Reid. “I’m not going to do it piecemeal. That's an excuse for everybody to do too little.

“We're going to do it all at once,” he said, “and we're going to have comprehensive immigration reform that will include taking care of our borders, a decent guest-worker program, bringing the 11 million people out of the shadows, doing something that is so important with the employer sanctions bill that really is a catch-22 for everyone.”

“We're going to do it all in one piece of legislation, not give people an excuse that they voted for one thing and think that they're through with it,” said Reid.