Thread: MD: Blocs Form on Both Sides of Immigration Fight

And yet another caucus has formed.
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Blocs Form on Both Sides of Immigration Fight

By Lisa Rein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 30, 2008; B06



Maryland lawmakers on both sides of the potent immigration issue are forming new coalitions to push their agendas, emboldened by Gov. Martin O'Malley's rejection this month of the state's long-standing policy allowing undocumented immigrants to drive.

Today more than a dozen lawmakers who are newcomers to the United States or the children or grandchildren of immigrants plan to kick off a New Americans Caucus. The members, who represent some of the most diverse parts of Montgomery and Prince George's counties, say they are determined to push back against a national anti-immigration mood they see seeping into the legislature. They say they intend to fight bills introduced by conservative Republicans that would deny services to illegal immigrants. The coalition members argue that the bills would also unfairly stigmatize legal immigrants.

"We want to make sure we treat people like human beings," said Del. Victor R. Ramirez (D-Prince George's), who was born in El Salvador. "There's lots of legislation out there now to create fear and division."

Members of the new caucus are Democrats whose families hail from Pakistan, the Dominican Republic, the former Soviet Union, Jamaica, Italy, Trinidad and other countries. The lawmakers' parents worked as garment workers, dental technicians, greengrocers, journalists and diplomats. The caucus members say they want to harness that diversity to be a bigger force in Annapolis.

"Maryland politics have generally been black and white, and now we're blending," said Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-Montgomery), also an El Salvador native. The legislature officially recognizes only the Legislative Black Caucus and the women's and veterans' caucuses, but dozens of other informal groups exist, and the New Americans say they will eventually seek a formal place.

On the other side are conservatives, mostly in the Republican minority, who are tapping into national voter frustration with illegal immigration. Like their colleagues in Virginia, who have introduced more than 125 immigration-related bills, they say illegal immigration requires action. Del. Patrick. L. McDonough (R-Baltimore County) said yesterday that he plans to organize a Citizens' Rights and Immigration Caucus next week.

The caucus will reflect the goals of a "citizens' rights" movement that McDonough said will focus less on those here illegally than on politicians and policies that offer services to the immigrants. In the absence of federal action to secure the country's borders, "we're attacking the [state] politicians for violating federal immigration laws," McDonough said. He cited as a prime example a Democratic-sponsored measure to award in-state college tuition to children of illegal immigrants, which enjoyed broad support in the House last year but stalled in the Senate.

Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican, has made illegal immigration the centerpiece of a hotly contested congressional primary race in the 1st District. He has introduced bills that would deny public benefits to illegal immigrants and prohibit a district court from releasing undocumented defendants on bail or their own recognizance.

The Republican bills have little chance of passage because the GOP has so few assembly members.

At the center of the debate is O'Malley, who two weeks ago rejected a recommendation from his top transportation officials to comply with a federal security law by devising two tiers of driver's licenses. One would have maintained driving privileges for undocumented immigrants, who can get licenses now.

Publicity about the two-tier plan resulted in a quick reversal by the governor, who announced that Maryland would require a "lawful presence" of drivers starting in 2010. The change would need approval from the General Assembly.

The governor's action stunned immigration advocates, who have accused him of pandering in a national election year. "This is absolutely one of the issues we are coalescing around," Gutierrez said.

Conservatives, meanwhile, have introduced bills to require a lawful presence before 2010.

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The coalition members argue that the bills would also unfairly stigmatize legal immigrants.

The best way to address that is back legislation that protects their new country from the costs of illegal aliens. They are Americans are they not? They do owe their allegiance to this country don't they?