Thread: Immigration hard-liner backs Roskam

Immigration hard-liner backs Roskam's bid

October 27, 2006
BY DAVE NEWBART Staff Reporter
Adding fuel to an already heated immigration debate, congressional nominee Peter Roskam appeared Thursday with one of the most polarizing figures on the issue.



U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) -- public enemy number one at pro-immigration marches in Chicago last spring that drew hundreds of thousands of protesters -- attended a press conference to support Roskam's bid for the 6th Congressional District seat in the west suburbs. About a dozen people protested outside the downtown event.

The Sensenbrenner bill, which passed the House in December, calls for making undocumented workers felons and tightening border security. The appearance came on the same day President Bush signed a law to erect a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexican border.

Roskam and the national Republican Party have run ads criticizing his opponent, Iraqi war veteran Tammy Duckworth, for her support of an alternate bill in the Senate.

That bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy, contains provisions that would allow millions of undocumented workers to apply for temporary work permits for available jobs that require "few or no skills."


Makes voters 'shudder'
It would also allow them to follow a multiple-step process to attain citizenship -- but only after passing background checks and paying substantial fines, application fees and back taxes.
Roskam said he had no problem appearing with Sensenbrenner, despite the growing Latino and immigrant population in the suburbs. Sensenbrenner said the Senate bill was similar to an amnesty granted in 1986 -- supported by President Ronald Reagan -- that failed to fix the problem.

"It doesn't matter whose name is on the bill, it's wrong for the 6th District,'' Roskam said. He said amnesty makes voters "shudder.''

Duckworth's campaign criticized Roskam's appearance with the Wisconsin congressman and said it was wrong to characterize the Senate bill as granting amnesty.

"Peter Roskam holds an extreme position on immigration, one that is out of touch with 6th District voters,'' Duckworth campaign spokeswoman Christine Glunz said. "It's a politically charged bill that is unrealistic.'' She said Duckworth also supports sending 12,000 more agents to the border.

dnewbart@suntimes.com



http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/ ... 27.article

Thank you Crazybird,

Sensenbrenner and Roskam have been added to the list of candidates endorsed by ALIPAC

W