Anti-Illegal Immigration Activists Swarm Capitol
By Nathan Burchfiel
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
April 24, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - More than 100 active opponents of comprehensive immigration reform began a three-day blitz of congressional offices Monday aimed at preventing passage of legislation that features a guest worker program and ways for illegal immigrants to earn citizenship.

The activists, some from as far away as Arizona, are in the nation's capital as part of "Hold Their Feet to the Fire," an annual gathering of radio talk show hosts aimed at opposing illegal immigration and urging the government to pursue stronger enforcement measures such as a border fence and increased border patrols.

The anti-immigration group Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) organized the event with the help of San Diego radio host Roger Hedgecock. Thirty-four other radio hosts from around the country are broadcasting their shows from a hotel three blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

While the impact of the activists' efforts is unclear, the event is grabbing the attention of at least some elected officials. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a long-shot candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, showed up to be interviewed on radio and to take photographs with supporters.

"Protecting our homeland begins at our nation's borders and it is imperative that our border enforcement agencies be provided with the necessary resources to ensure that we know both who and what are entering the country," Hunter says on his website.

Hunter is a leading proponent of building a secure fence along the border between the United States and Mexico.

FAIR opposes both amnesty for illegal residents and President Bush's proposal for a guest worker program that would allow non-citizens to live and work in the U.S. while trying to earn citizenship.

Other aspects of the president's five-point plan are border security initiatives, employer accountability, assimilation assistance, and a "path to citizenship" project that would allow illegal residents to pay a "meaningful penalty" to remain in the country.

Recent polling suggests that a majority of Americans prefer a comprehensive approach to immigration reform that includes a guest worker program, rather than a proposal that includes only increased enforcement. Opponents of the guest worker program counter that the poll questions are biased.

With Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress and the president in full support of comprehensive immigration reform, the anti-amnesty contingent may face an uphill battle.

As Cybercast News Service previously reported, proponents of comprehensive reform are cautiously optimistic that Bush and congressional leaders will move legislation forward this term.

In literature being passed out during "Hold Their Feet to the Fire," FAIR encourages its members to not lose heart.

"Advocates for true comprehensive immigration reform must not delude themselves: we have a very difficult fight ahead of us," the group says. "But we also must not delude ourselves and believe that we are powerless to prevent enactment of a guest worker amnesty proposal."

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