Republican Divide Over Immigration Keeps Widening

BY BRIAN MITCHELL

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Posted 1/20/2006

President Bush won his first fight over immigration when the Republican National Committee on Friday turned back a challenge to his proposed guest-worker plan.

But the fact that there was a debate at all at the RNC, which typically backs Bush vigorously, underscores the big Republican split over immigration.

At their winter meeting in Washington, D.C., RNC members approved a pro-Bush plan resolution by Texas committeeman Bill Crocker. That forced the withdrawal of a resolution against the plan proposed by Arizona committeeman Randy Pullen.

The Crocker resolution called for a "functional program which will allow workers from other countries to enter the United States to work for a fixed period of time."

It also said such a program must provide "no amnesty" for those here illegally, but did not exclude "legalization," the term favored by immigration proponents.

GOP leaders, including Vice President Dick Cheney, RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, lobbied hard for the Crocker resolution and against the efforts of immigration critics.

"We're really not happy with what's going on down there right now," said Jessica Echard of Eagle Forum on Friday morning.

The RNC vote came a day after a coalition of business and labor groups declared its determination to fight for legalization and increases in foreign workers.

"We have decided that this is a fundamental, essential issue to the future of our economy," said Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"This is not an issue that the fundamental organizations representing our economy, representing society, are going to walk away from," he said.

Donohue was seconded by Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union; Terry O'Sullivan, general president of the Laborers' International Union of North America; Mark Franken of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Kelley Rice-Schild of the American Health Care Association.

Labor Shortages?

Donohue painted a dismal picture of a nation threatened by "fewer and fewer and fewer" workers, on account of a booming economy and the pending retirement of 77 million baby boomers.

"We need a pool of accomplished, willing and paying workers â€â€