Like most Republicans in Congress, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., desperately wants to vote for immigration reform. Being the bad guy on border security is not why she ran for the Senate and, like most Republicans, she just wishes the issue would disappear entirely. Hence her decision this weekend to support the Schumer-Rubio citizenship-for-illegal-immigrants bill that the Senate will begin debate on today.

When does legalization happen again?
Problem is, immigration reform is a very complicated issue that has been litigated by those truly interested in the topic for months, if not years. So when Ayotte sent out a newsletter justifying her embrace of amnesty, it was perhaps understandable that her talking points seemed a little stale.

For example, on the issue of legalization, her news letter to constituents reads:

Does the bill provide for immediate legal status for illegal immigrants?

No. The bill does not immediately grant legal status to anyone here illegally.

Unfortunately for Ayotte, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was on Univision Sunday saying pretty much the exact opposite. “Let’s be clear,” Rubio said, according to a transcript obtained by The Washington Examiner‘s Byron York. “Nobody is talking about preventing the legalization. The legalization is going to happen. That means the following will happen: First comes the legalization. Then come the measures to secure the border.”

Not the only falsehood
Ayotte’s talking points are filled with other false statements too. She claims Schumer-Rubio mandates all employers use E-Verify. False. Schumer-Rubio eliminates E-Verify and calls for the creation of a brand new employee verification system.

She claims Schumer-Rubio forces illegal immigrants to pay back taxes. False. Only those illegal immigrants who have been previously assessed txes by the IRS will be forced to pay anything. In fact, most illegal immigrants will probably get checks from the IRS thanks to the Earned Income Tax Credit.

She claims illegal immigrants must show “knowledge of civics and English.” Again, false. Schumer-Rubio only requires illegal immigrants prove thy are taking an English class.

The Schumer-Rubio bill will be tough for many Republicans that will make many constituents unhappy regardless whether they vote Aye or Nay. One way to minimize the damage is to just not talk about provisions of the proposal about which they clearly are ill-informed.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/morning-ex...article/2531590