Thread: Ark. Congressional delegation at odds on immigration bill

http://www.fox16.com/news/state/stor...8-89DF6F4550D5

Arkansas congressional delegation still at odds on immigration bill

Posted on 5/19/2006 8:53:20 AM



LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Key provisions of an immigration bill continue to divide members of the Arkansas congressional delegation, with the biggest point of disagreement the question of what to do with millions of illegal immigrants who are already here.

Meanwhile, immigrants and their supporters planned to hold a prayer vigil at a Little Rock park Friday evening to pray for Congress to decide in their favor and to remember those who died crossing the border.

As debate continued this week in the Senate, the idea of allowing illegal immigrants to gain legal status under certain circumstances has been gaining ground. Any bill the Senate passes would have to be reconciled with a House bill passed in December that would take strong measures against illegal immigrants and their employers, including making illegal status in the United States a felony.

"Since we had that vote, there are members who voted for it who are stating publicly and-or privately who say they went to far on that bill," said Rep. Vic Snyder, a Democrat who voted against the bill. "So that may increase the likelihood of a compromise."

Other members of the delegation disagree that there's room for compromise.

"The average Arkansan is very much against amnesty," said Rep. John Boozman, a Republican, who voted for the House bill. "I think they're very much for securing the border and very much in favor of holding employers accountable."

Boozman said he served many Hispanic immigrants as an optometrist and has a staffer who handles immigration problems for constituents. But he said granting millions of people eventual citizenship would reward illegal behavior and drive up the nation's costs for social programs.

That point was echoed by Rep. Mike Ross, a Democrat, who also voted for the House bill. "While we are a nation of immigrants, we must also remember that we are a nation of laws," he said in a statement. "I am opposed to illegal immigration and feel that any immigration reform must first begin with increased border security."

Rep. Marion Berry, a Democrat who voted for the House bill, said immigration problems can't be solved with one bill alone.

"Since all of our problems stem from the holes in our border, it only makes sense to put border security first," he said in a statement. "The House bill is strong on border security, and a good first step toward addressing our immigration challenges."

There will likely be many differences between any Senate bill passed and the House version: for instance, the Senate voted 83-16 Wednesday to pass an amendment that would build 370 new miles of fence along the border, but the House version of the bill calls for much more fencing.

Sen. Mark Pryor said President Bush will have to be directly involved in negotiations and push for a compromise. "He needs to basically roll up his sleeves and go to work, get down in the weeds," Pryor said.

But Snyder says the president's waning popularity may give him less leverage in the process, and election-year politics may also make the process more difficult.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, like Pryor, voted for the border fence amendment in the Senate.

"I think it's a reasonable approach," Lincoln said in a telephone conference with reporters Thursday. "We know that there are many approaches to be taken. This is just one. It's not the end-all, be all solution."

Lincoln and Pryor, both Democrats, support measures that would give some illegal immigrants already in the country a chance at legal status, provided that they take steps including paying fines and undergoing background checks.

But Lincoln said that doesn't amount to an amnesty and said employers who hire illegal immigrants should be held accountable.

In Little Rock, organizers of the candlelight vigil plan to display a list of names of people who've died trying to enter the country. They plan to pray for them and others who have suffered because of problems in the nation's immigration system, said Neil Sealy, head organizer with ACORN, a community activist group. He said they'll also pray that Congress passes "a humane and comprehensive immigration reform."

Tyson is big in Arkansas