Thread: Lawmakers at odds on immigration

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Lawmakers at odds on immigration
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | March 21, 2006

WASHINGTON -- With congressional elections on the horizon, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are preparing for a major showdown over immigration reform, an issue that carries an explosive mix of national security concerns, social pressures, and financial realities -- and that has exposed deep regional splits within Congress and the Republican Party.

Hard-liners in the Republican-controlled Congress are insisting that the country tighten its borders and deport all undocumented immigrants with few exceptions. President Bush and business interests want temporary work permits for people from other countries who break the law to fill jobs few Americans want. And Democrats are joining with some Republicans to insist that those immigrants follow paths to legal US residency.

With politics pushing lawmakers in multiple directions over how to handle the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, politicians and immigration advocates worry that Congress will deadlock the issue.

''This is a long journey," said Senator Lindsey O. Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has pushed an approach that combines stricter border enforcement with new ways for immigrants to work legally in the United States. ''It took a long while to get 11 million people in the country illegally. It's going to take a while to find some fair-minded solution to this problem. But let it begin now."

The extent to which lawmakers are split over immigration has been on display recently in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Three weeks of hearings and meetings failed to produce a bill that the panel could offer to the full Senate for a vote. Lawmakers will try again after this week's congressional break.

Senate majority leader Bill Frist -- who is mulling a presidential bid and is anxious to bring something to the Senate floor quickly before this fall's elections -- has set a deadline of Monday for the committee to finish its work.

If nothing is ready by then, Frist plans to offer a bill focusing only on border enforcement, boosting the number of border agents, investing in technologies to help them monitor the border, and requiring employers to check immigration papers of hires.

''Our country needs security at our borders in order to slow the flow of illegal immigration and make America safer from foreign criminals and terrorists," Frist, a Tennessee Republican, said in introducing his legislation last Thursday.

By sidestepping any program for undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States and work legally, Frist's proposal punts the most contentious immigration issues -- what to do with those who are here, and how to account for their economic contribution. That would deeply disappoint Bush and others anxious to establish a stable, legally sanctioned pool of workers willing to do tough, low-wage jobs that might otherwise go unfilled.

Yesterday in Cleveland, the president prodded Congress with a reminder that America is ''a land of immigrants" before making a case for a ''guest worker" program: ''If you're going to come to do a job that an American won't do, you ought to be given a foolproof card that says you can come for a limited period of time and do work in a job an American won't do . . . The idea of having [tougher border controls] that causes people to get stuffed in the back of 18-wheelers to risk their lives to sneak into America to do work that some people won't do is just not American, in my judgment."

Frist's deadline set up a week of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations among lawmakers who are home for a congressional recess. Committee members late last week began to report progress negotiating a bill that would strengthen border security and set up a guest worker program, stoking optimism that a deal can be reached.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, a senior Democrat on the judiciary committee, said there is now a ''better than even" chance the committee will approve a comprehensive immigration bill -- a big improvement over the long odds of last year, he said. With the prospect of major crackdowns galvanizing pro-immigration groups into action with rallies, marches, and letter-writing campaigns, he added, lawmakers are sensing the need for a wholesale approach.

''People are looking at the situation in a different way," Kennedy said. ''I don't underestimate the difficulties -- we're sure not there now. But there's at least a pathway." Democrats are largely supportive of efforts to find new avenues for immigrants to work in the United States.

Still, Congress can't agree on what to do with those who are now in the country illegally. Opinions range from deportation to allowing them to earn legal status through stable employment and other means. That divide is well represented just within the Republican Party.

Even if the Senate passes a comprehensive bill that includes guest worker provisions and avenues for legal residency, there's no guarantee that the House of Representatives will follow suit. Taking a tougher stance, the House passed a bill that toughens border enforcement, including provisions that would make it a felony to violate immigration laws and would force all businesses to check their employees' citizenship.

Representative Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican who is a leader of the get-tough coalition, said he is confident that no immigration bill that includes what he calls ''amnesty" for undocumented workers will pass. Tancredo and others want Congress to work on securing the borders and aggressively discourage employers from hiring undocumented immigrants; anyone here illegally should have to return to their native countries and be required to apply for citizenship like everybody else.

''People in this country want an end to illegal immigration," Tancredo said. ''The question for everyone [in Congress] is, who are you listening to? Are you listening to corporate interests -- business interests only? Or are you listening to the people of this country?"

For now, though, attention remains on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Chairman Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, vowed to finish a bill in the committee that includes some type of guest worker program.

As last week's committee hearing made clear, Specter is not the only one hoping for a final immigration bill that provides for undocumented workers and beefs up enforcement.

Conservatives Graham and Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, considered a GOP presidential prospect, indicated they would support a plan that allows undocumented immigrants to gain legal status. They're backing a proposal offered by Kennedy and Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for green cards after six years of good behavior -- provided they also pay back-taxes on their wages and $2,000 in fines.

At Thursday's hearing, Graham lashed out at his GOP comrades, saying their sole answer to any illegal immigration issue seems to be ''send them all back."

''That, to me, is not a realistic approach to a real problem," Graham said. ''There are a lot of people on talk radio in the morning, noon, and night talking about this while these folks [undocumented immigrants] are out there working."

Kennedy

Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, a senior Democrat on the judiciary committee, said there is now a ''better than even" chance the committee will approve a comprehensive immigration bill -- a big improvement over the long odds of last year, he said. With the prospect of major crackdowns galvanizing pro-immigration groups into action with rallies, marches, and letter-writing campaigns, he added, lawmakers are sensing the need for a wholesale approach.

TANCREDO

''People in this country want an end to illegal immigration," Tancredo said. ''The question for everyone [in Congress] is, who are you listening to? Are you listening to corporate interests -- business interests only? Or are you listening to the people of this country?"

LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE !

The idea of having [tougher border controls] that causes people to get stuffed in the back of 18-wheelers to risk their lives to sneak into America to do work that some people won't do is just not American, in my judgment."

This is an outrareous statement for the president to make. He is literally saying it is OK to break the law. The only thing un-American about it, is the president. The illegal aliens are stuffing themselves into 18 wheelers, it is their choice and it is an illegal choice. I have lost all faith in the president to do what is right.


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