Thread: Immigration debate turns into partisan bickering

Immigration debate turns into partisan bickering

WASHINGTON -- The Senate debate over a broad immigration compromise degenerated into bitter partisanship Tuesday, with Republicans and Democrats accusing each other of trying to squander its chances of passing.


"People are looking for excuses on the Republican side to kill this bill," said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announcing his intention to force a test vote on the complex and contentious measure Thursday to speed its passage.

The move ran into swift and forceful opposition from Republicans who said Democrats were squelching debate.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., an architect of the bipartisan legislation, called it "an extreme act of bad faith" and said Reid's move would "risk the bill not passing at all."

The sniping threatened to scuttle a bipartisan measure that's facing numerous challenges from the right and left.

Key senators, including Kyl and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., worked behind the scenes to protect what they call their "grand bargain." It would legalize an estimated 12 million unlawful immigrants while tightening border security and instituting new worksite enforcement measures to bar the hiring of illegal workers.

The bill also creates a controversial guest worker program and a new point system for evaluating future immigrants based on their employability rather than family ties to U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

"The wheels are still very much on this bus," said Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., one of the dozen lawmakers who crafted the bill and are struggling to shepherd it through the unruly Senate.

Reid's move reflected both the intense pressure on lawmakers to push through an immigration measure _ a top domestic priority for President Bush _ and the difficult dilemma the issue poses for lawmakers in both parties. The bill is widely regarded as the best chance for Congress to take action on immigration, possibly for years to come.

Forcing a vote later this week could spell defeat for the bill, but it could also ratchet up pressure for the bipartisan coalition to reach a quick deal that would enhance its chances of passing.

"We are strongly committed. Our alliance is strong," Kennedy said. "We know that we are facing some challenging issues."

Proponents were bracing for a close vote as early as Wednesday on an effort by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to bar illegal immigrants already under court order for deportation from gaining legal status. Democrats were working to siphon support from the amendment by offering their own proposal that would only cut off those who were convicted felons, including gang members and sex offenders.

Kyl said he backed a bid by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, to require all illegal immigrants to return home before gaining lawful status _ rather than just those seeking green cards, as the measure dictates.

That proposal has been discussed as part of an agreement that could incorporate a Democratic top priority: changes in the way the measure treats family-based immigration.

The temporary worker program faced yet another challenge from Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, who was seeking to allow laborers to come for six consecutive years. The bill requires them to go home for a year between each of three two-year stints.

The measure easily survived a major challenge Tuesday when the Senate defeated, 62-31, a Republican bid to make it harder for millions of illegal immigrants to qualify for green cards.

Twenty-three Republicans joined 38 Democrats and Independent Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont to oppose the amendment by Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo. The measure would have eliminated extra points toward green cards that illegal immigrants could get for owning a home, having health insurance and work records while they were in the U.S. illegally. Supporting Allard's measure were 23 Republicans and eight Democrats.

On an even more lopsided vote, a bipartisan group of senators voted to require employers to recruit Americans before hiring temporary workers from abroad. It passed 71-22, with only Republicans opposed.

Showdowns loom on Democratic efforts to allow more family-based immigration under the bill and more Republican proposals to make the path to legalization for illegal immigrants more burdensome.

Kennedy said he would oppose the family changes despite his sympathy for the efforts.

"I'm going to stay with the agreement," Kennedy said of the so-called "grand bargain" he struck with the bipartisan group.

That leaves in doubt the fate of a proposal by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., to allow more than 800,000 people who had applied for permanent legal status by the beginning of the year to get green cards based purely on their family connections _ a preference the bill ends for most relatives who got in line after May 2005.

Several Democratic presidential hopefuls also have proposed family-related changes.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., wants to allow more spouses and minor children of legal permanent residents to immigrate to the U.S., by exempting them from visa caps.

The Senate is considering a bid by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., to more than double, to 90,000 a year, the number of green cards available for parents of U.S. citizens.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., plans an attempt to phase out the point system that gives little credit for family ties to a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.








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Associated Press - June 5, 2007 8:33 PM ET

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - President Bush drew startling criticism tonight from Republican White House hopefuls unhappy with his handling of the Iraq war, his diplomatic style and his approach to immigration.

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson said of Bush: "I would certainly not send him to the United Nations" to represent the United States.

Arizona Senator John McCain criticized the administration for its handling of the Iraq war. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said, "I think we were underprepared and underplanned for what came after we knocked down Saddam Hussein."

California Congressman Duncan Hunter said the current administration "has the slows" when it comes to building a security fence along the border with Mexico.

Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo recalled that White House aide Karl Rove had once told him "never darken the door of the White House." Tancredo said he'd tell George Bush the same thing.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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