Harkin Must Go... Tom Harkin Immigration Record / Iowa Presidential Watch

Harkin's immigration votes: [LINK]

Voted in favor of amendment to increase foreign-worker importation in 2005

Sen. Harkin voted in favor of S. Amdt. 387, an amendment offered by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), to H.R. 1268, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005. The Mikulski amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act increased the number of H-2Bs who can enter and take jobs in the United States in the next two years and apportioned the H-2B visa cap so that visas will be available throughout the year. Specifically, the Mikulski Amendment would split the H-2B visa cap so no more than 33,000 visas are made available for the first six months the fiscal year, and another 33,000 visas would be available in the second half of the year. HOWEVER, the Mikulski Amendment exempts from the annual cap aliens granted an H-2B visa within three years prior to approval of an H-2B petition, thus potentially TRIPLING the number of H-2B workers in the United States at any one time. Although apportioning H-2B visas is a common-sense approach that will help prevent the situation that occurred in FY 2004 and FY2005 when the 66,000 annual cap on H-2B (low-skill) nonimmigrant visas was hit within the first quarter of the year, the Mikulski Amendment would ultimately harm American workers by creating exemptions which potentially could triple the number of H-2B workers in the U.S. at any given time. Fortunately, however, the increase is limited to two years, and the additional visas can go only to foreign workers who worked in this country legally during the last three years. The Amendment passed by a vote of 94 to 6.

Voted against amendment to provide funding
for additional Border Patrol agents in 2005

Sen. Harkin voted against the Ensign Amendment (SA 1219) to H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The Ensign Amendment transfers appropriated funds from the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the purpose of hiring 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents. The amendment failed, vote of 38 to 60.

Voted in favor of amnesty for agricultural workers in 2005

Sen. Harkin voted in favor of a procedural move requiring 60 votes to limit debate and ensure a vote on the AgJOBS amnesty amendment introduced by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID). The Senate voted 53 to 45 not to invoke cloture, effectively keeping the amnesty off the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief. AgJOBS is an amnesty for agricultural workers. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens currently working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could qualify for this amnesty, so the total could reach three million or more. The potential recipients of the amnesty would be required to prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that ended Aug. 31, 2004. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers would have to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years.

Cosponsoring bill to create an amnesty for
illegal agricultural workers in 2005

Sen. Harkin cosponsored S. 1545, the DREAM Act of 2003. S. 1545 would have granted in-state tuition and amnesty to illegal aliens under the age of 21 who had been physically present in the country for five years and are in 7th grade or above. Such a reward for illegal immigration serves as an incentive for more illegal immigration.

Cosponsored bill to create an amnesty for
illegal agricultural workers in 2003-2004

Sen. Harkin cosponsored S. 1645, the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003, an amnesty for agricultural workers. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens currently working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could have qualified for this amnesty, so the total could have reached three million or more. The potential recipients of the amnesty would have been required to prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that ended Aug. 31, 2003. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers would have had to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years.

Co-sponsored legislation in 2001
to extend Section 245(i) for one-year.

Sen. Harkin co-sponsored S. 778 a one-year extension of Section 245(i), an immigration provision that allows certain illegal aliens to pay a fine and adjust their status to legal status. In addition, Section 245(i) removes the all-important security step that is performed by our embassies on potential immigrants in their home countries. Section 245(i) rewards illegal immigration, contributes significantly to the INS processing backlog, and poses a national security threat.

Voted for a foreign worker bill with no anti-fraud measures in 2000.

Sen.Harkin voted for S.2045, the Abraham foreign worker bill to nearly triple the number of foreign high-tech workers. On the heels of the release of a GAO report finding no proof of a high-tech worker shortage and evidence of abuse in the H-1B program, Sen. Harkin voted for this foreign worker bill that contained no worker protections or anti-fraud measures. The bill passed the Senate 96-1.

Voted for an amnesty for illegal aliens in 2000

Sen. Harkin voted to include an amnesty for illegal aliens from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti in the Senate H-1B bill (S.2045). The move to include the amnesty with the H-1B legislation failed 43-55 in a procedural vote on the Senate floor.

Led effort to grant amnesty to 50,000 illegal aliens from Haiti,
plus their families, in 1998

Sen. Harkin helped create the pressure in the Senate during 1998 that led to an amnesty for some 50,000 illegal aliens from Haiti who came to the U.S. before Dec. 31, 1995, plus their spouses and children. Altogether, this amnesty is expected to reward 125,000 Haitians with legal residence in the United States. He co-sponsored S.1504 that the Senate Appropriations Committee eventually slipped into an omnibus supplemental appropriations bill. That meant the full Senate never debated or voted directly on rewarding the illegal aliens. The legislation was written for illegal aliens who had been given “temporary asylum” in 1995 because of civil and political disorder at the time in Haiti. But after the U.S. spent hundreds of millions of dollars to drive out the Haitian dictatorship and to democratize Haiti, the Haitian illegal aliens still refused to go home. They received full backing from Sen. Harkin to remain permanently in the U.S. No part of the House of Representatives ever considered the amnesty. But in emergency negotiations at the end of the 105th Congress, President Clinton successfully insisted on including the amnesty in the final appropriations bill.

Voted to grant amnesty to close to one million illegal aliens
from Nicaragua and Cuba in 1997

Sen. Harkin voted to grant legal status to Nicaraguans and Cubans who had lived in the United States illegally since 1995, along with their spouses and minor unmarried children. The overall ten year impact of this legislation will be the addition of some 967,000 people to U.S. population. There was no separate vote on the amnesty, as it was included in the DC Appropriations bill. The only opportunity Senators had to vote in favor of or against the amnesty was the Mack Amendment to S.1156. The Mack Amendment passed 99-1.

Voted in 1996 to continue chain migration

Sen. Harkin in 1996 voted against the Simpson Amendment to S.1664. It was a vote in favor of a chain migration system that has been the primary reason for annual immigration levels snowballing from less than 300,000 in 1965 to around a million. Sen. Harkin supported provisions that allow immigrants to send for their adult relatives. Then each of those relatives can send for their and their spouse's adult relatives, creating a never-ending and ever-growing chain. The bi-partisan Barbara Jordan Commission recommended doing away with the adult relative categories (begun only in the 1950s) in order to lessen wage depression among lower-paid American workers. The Simpson Amendment attempted to carry out that recommendation. But Sen. Harkin helped kill the reform by voting with the 80-20 majority against the amendment. Sen. Harkin's vote helped continue a level of immigration that the Census Bureau projects will result in a doubled U.S. population in the next century. See detailed description

Voted in favor of chain migration in 1996

Sen. Harkin voted in 1996 against the Feinstein Amendment to S.1664. The Feinstein Amendment would have reduced annual admission of spouses and minor children of citizens to 480,000 and significantly reduced annual limits other categories of chain migration such as parents of citizens and adult unmarried children of citizens. By voting against the Feinstein Amendment, Sen. Harkin voted in favor of a system of chain migration that has been the primary reason for annual immigration levels snowballing from less than 300,000 in 1965 to around a million today. In 1996 the bi-partisan Barbara Jordan Commission recommended doing away with the adult relative categories (begun only in the 1950s) in order to lessen wage depression among lower-paid American workers. The Feinstein Amendment attempted to carry out that recommendation. The Feinstein Amendment would have had an overall impact of reducing U.S. population growth by about 1.2 million over 10 years, but it was defeated by a vote of 26 to 74. Click here to see a detailed description.

Voted for huge increase in 1990

Sen. Harkin helped pass legislation in 1990 that increased the numbers in all categories of immigration. America’s immigration tradition had been around 250,000 immigrants a year until the 1980s when numbers rose dramatically to more than 500,000 a year. After Sen. Harkin voted in 1990 in favor of raising limits, immigration has now snowballed to around 1,000,000 (one million) a year, contributing the majority of U.S. population and labor growth, congestion and sprawl. See detailed description.

Importing Specific Foreign Workers

Opposed doubling of H-1B foreign high-tech workers in 1998

Sen. Harkin voted against S.1723 which passed the Senate 72-20. Enacted into law, it increased by nearly 150,000 the number of foreign workers that high-tech American companies could hire over the next three years. Although the foreign workers receive temporary visas for up to six years, most historically have found ways to stay permanently in this country. Sen. Harkin joined those who argued that the foreign workers were not needed while U.S. firms were laying off tens of thousands of American workers. Government studies failed to find any conclusive evidence of a shortage of American high-tech workers.

Citizenship for illegal alien babies:

Sen. Harkin has taken no action to reduce the rewarding
of illegal immigration by giving citizenship to anchor babies.