Photoshop courtesy of the Stein Report

I’m not making this up:

Key provisions of the Senate’s main immigration bill would create a “gold card” program for illegal immigrants who entered the United States before Jan. 4, 2004, and create a guest worker program to bring in more foreign laborers, according to Senate Judiciary Committee staff members.

The committee is to begin debating the measure Wednesday under a three-week timetable aimed at producing a final version for the full Senate by March 27.

Sponsored by the committee chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the legislation is designed to strike a middle course between a bill passed by the House that calls for tougher immigration enforcement and the wishes of pro-immigration advocates who call for permanent legal status — and eventual citizenship — for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

President Bush, defying objections from conservatives, has called for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws and the creation of a temporary guest worker program to ensure a steady source of labor for U.S. businesses. Under Bush’s plan, qualified workers, including residents now living here illegally, could stay in jobs for up to six years, then would be required to return home.

Committee staff members, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said applicants for the gold card would undergo a background check by the Homeland Security Department, then be eligible for two-year work visas that could be renewed indefinitely.

The Stein Report learned of a briefing on the program yesterday:

In a move to build support for Bush’s guest worker amnesty plan, administration officials talked about how they would actually implement the program. Jaws dropped as the administration reps explained the centerpiece of the program, a “Gold Card” that would enable illegal aliens to enter the U.S. at will, and work at any job with no labor market or other tests needed but would deny them citizenship. “Gold Card” would be valid forever, similar to current “Green Cards” but illegal aliens holding a “Gold Card” would not be able to adjust their status through naturalization.

For those deluded enough to think that the Department of Homeland Security would be able to competently conduct the background checks and police abuse of this massive amnesty plan, I point you to yesterday’s post.

The cluelessness of Beltway elite Republicans continues to amaze. If you thought the port deal was a P.R disaster, just wait.

Gold card. For crying out loud.

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Over at The Immigration Blog, Juan Mann reports: Chertoff fiddles, while deportation system burns.

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