Thread: Congress faces illegal-immigrant issue

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Article Launched: 10/05/2005 01:00:00 AM

Congress faces illegal-immigrant issue
By Anne C. Mulkern
Denver Post Staff Writer



Washington - Tough decisions about the nation's porous borders and its millions of illegal immigrants await lawmakers later this month, but agreement on a solution may prove elusive.

Congress has hesitated to address the volatile problem but feels forced to tackle it now because of pressure from constituents and big-money donors. Republican leaders say it's at the top of their agenda for the period after Columbus Day.

"People are demanding that this issue be addressed," said Jeff Lundgren, spokesman for Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees immigration law. "It's no longer a border-state issue. It's affecting all 50 states."

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, a leader of the drive to stop illegal immigration, said the issue is reaching "critical mass."

Republican lawmakers, who control Congress, privately admit they're in a political vise, caught between constituencies with very different desires. Businesses demand the ability to hire foreign workers. Latino groups, which Republicans want as a voting bloc, seek recognition of people they call contributing members of society.

Citizen activists, meanwhile, patrol the U.S.-Mexico border, light up phone lines and send thousands of e-mails asking for tougher enforcement and deportation of those here illegally. Governors in Arizona and New Mexico have declared illegal immigrant-related states of emergency in border counties.

In Washington, two comprehensive bills have been introduced in the Senate. In the House, there are bills addressing aspects of the issue. But many involved in the issue agree that there will need to be congressional hearings, fierce lobbying and painful arm twisting before any legislation can pass both chambers.

"There are no easy solutions on it," Lundgren said. The House could decide to tackle immigration one piece at a time instead of in a sweeping package, he said.

Proposed legislation already introduced in the Senate includes a guest-worker program that would allow undocumented workers to apply for permanent residency, and a measure that requires that all undocumented workers leave the country before they can apply to work here legally.

Estimates place the number of illegal immigrants in the nation as high as 20 million people. But some of those are thought to be nonworking family members, with the workforce closer to about 10 million or 11 million.

The total U.S. workforce is about 125 million, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

One of two Senate bills already introduced, sponsored by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., includes fines for illegal immigrants but allows a limited number of workers to stay in the country temporarily as guest workers and ultimately apply for permanent residency. The number is set at 400,000 the first year. A commission would determine guest- worker allotments for future years.

That's a proposal close to the plan the White House has floated, which would allow illegal immigrants who pay a fine to obtain a temporary work visa. In February 2004, President Bush proposed allowing a three-year stay that would be renewable.

The Kennedy-McCain bill is endorsed by groups such as the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest constituent- based Hispanic organization, and the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, a business alliance that includes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Restaurant Association and Colorado's First Data Corp.

"We can't afford, if the administration or if Congress goes forward and pushes for greater enforcement, to have that kind of volume of people drop out of our economy," said Laura Reiff, co-chairwoman of the coalition. "Eight to 12 million workers dropping out of the workforce is going to be devastating to the economy, especially in a situation where we can't find people to do entry-level, what we call essential worker positions."

A spokesman for First Data said the company supports Bush's position on a guest-worker program. First Data owns Western Union, which benefits from money that workers send from the United States to foreign countries.
Another Senate bill - sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. - has only one co-sponsor so far. It increases penalties for smuggling illegal immigrants, drug trafficking and document fraud. It also sets up a guest-worker program but requires workers to first leave the country for a year, and when they return, they cannot bring family members along.

A coalition created by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie and two former congressmen is asking businesses to pay up to $250,000 each to help promote a guest-worker program. The group wants to change public opinion about immigration so that a guest-worker program can pass Congress, said Robert de Posada, one of three directors of Americans for Border and Economic Security.

"Everybody wants to go in with very specific legislative proposals," Posada said. "You can't go into that without first changing the overall atmosphere of the issue. If we start debating details we're going to lose."

But some in the business community said they are concerned Gillespie's group might be too closely aligned to the White House. If Bush the White House does decide to back more aggressive enforcement of labor laws, businesses say they would not be able to support that.

House leaders trying to develop their own legislation so far have agreed on just one issue, Tancredo said: that employers should be required to check the validity of workers' Social Security numbers. They have not agreed on whether that rule would apply retroactively to existing workers.

Tancredo and his allies want military-like enforcement on the borders and sanctions against employers who hire undocumented workers.

"Employers in this country create the demand," Tancredo said. "If we can stop the employment of people who are here illegally, a huge part of this problem would go away."

A bill Tancredo has introduced would allow a guest-worker program, but only after the nation meets a series of benchmarks, such has a decrease of illegal entry into the U.S. to at or below the level of deportations.

Congressional leaders say legislation that advances will likely include a guest-worker provision with some sort of penalty for people already in the country illegally, such as a fine or restriction on their ability to become U.S. citizens.

It will also need to include some measures to lessen the flow of illegal immigrants over the borders, they say.

But Tancredo plans to fight any bill that would allow undocumented workers to stay legally, something he and his backers consider amnesty.

"It will be one a hell of a fight, I guarantee you," he said. "I will do everything that I can do."

"Members (of Congress) realize enhanced border security is going to have to be at the core of whatever we do," said Lundgren, spokesman for the House's Judiciary Committee chairman. "Right now we don't have control of our borders. Members and their constituents are demanding better border security." Contact Anne C. Mulkern through The Denver Post's Washington and the West blog at

One of two Senate bills already introduced, sponsored by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., includes fines for illegal immigrants but allows a limited number of workers to stay in the country temporarily as guest workers and ultimately apply for permanent residency. The number is set at 400,000 the first year. A commission would determine guest- worker allotments for future years.

Also known as the McCain-Kennedy Turnstile Bill.

Originally Posted by Brian503a

Republican lawmakers, who control Congress, privately admit they're in a political vise, caught between constituencies with very different desires. Businesses demand the ability to hire foreign workers. Latino groups, which Republicans want as a voting bloc, seek recognition of people they call contributing members of society.

Just who are these Congress Critters representing? The only constituencies they should concern themselves with are those legal USA citizens. We are the ones who pay their high and over-inflated wages and who vote them in every election. I am amazed with this paragraph that some Congress Critters even believe they are in a dilemna or political vise. There is no such thing, Critters, if you will only do the right and moral thing and represent us "legal" citizens who finance your cushy lifestyles, while many of us aren't so lucky to enjoy the same!