WARNER AND WEBB both voted against cloture on the amnesty bill. Webb appears to be on the record supporting a “secure the borders first” approach:
The immigration debate is divided into three separate issues. How can we secure our border? What should we do about the 11 million undocumented workers? And, lastly there is the guest worker question. It is necessary to separate out the 3 issues. Approaching the issue using an omnibus bill that attempts to solve all 3 issues simultaneously creates a political stalemate that delays the border security solution. Once the border is secure we can develop a fair solution to other immigration issues.
Warner made a similar statement in the context of last year’s immigration bill:
From the outset of this debate, I stated my firm belief that any legislative approach to providing overall immigration reform must rest on the foundation that we secure our borders, and then deal realistically with the millions of undocumented workers who are already in our country.
It remains to be seen whether the depth of their convictions will get tested before the ‘08 elections.
(H/T From on High)
UPDATE: More details on Warner and Webb’s prior immigration votes from New River Valley News. I’m somewhat ambivalent about legally designating English as the official language (out of a general preference for fewer laws), but this comment is telling:
Some senators voted for Amendment 1151 and Amendment 1384 so they could prevent English from becoming the official language of the U.S., yet be able to tell voters they voted to make English the official language of the U.S.