Hagel not optimistic about passing immigration reform

By Robert Pore
robert.pore@theindependent.com

The chances of Congress passing a comprehensive immigration bill this year is on the south side of a "50/50" chance, U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said on Thursday.

"I don't think it is better than 50/50 that we will pass a bill," Hagel told reporters during a conference call.

But, Hagel said, saying Congress has a 50/50 chance of passing comprehensive immigration legislation this year is "optimistic."

Hagel said that during debate on immigration reform, many amendments offered by lawmakers have either been accepted or defeated.

"There are a lot of pieces in this bill that I don't like and I don't think it is workable as it is right now," he said. "But, it seems to me, that we have to keep moving forward. We have to keep trying to find ways to make this a workable, realistic and responsible comprehensive immigration bill."

Hagel said there are a lot of forces battling Senate efforts to pass immigration reform.

"I'm well aware of that," he said. "I read my mail."

But, Hagel said, "It has to be done."

"Whether, at the end, that we can come up with a product that is worthy of our country that deals with these great issues responsibly and realistically I don't know, but I'm hopeful" he said. "We have to try."

Some amendments to immigration reform have been contentious and have drawn the wrath of the White House, such as a bipartisan amendment to make the immigration bill easier on employers.

In opposing the amendment, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said it "would be a serious step backwards in our enforcement effort."

Homeland Security's Immigration Customs Enforcement last December lead immigration raids on Swift & Company plants in the U.S., including its Grand Island beef processing plant.

More than 260 workers were rounded up in Grand Island and more than 1,200 nation wide from all the Swift plants.

The company, which has been sold to a Brazilian meat packer, said losses from the raid amounted to between $40 million to $50 million dollars. Swift officials were not charged with any wrong doing by the government.

"We have to do something about that," Hagel said. "We put employers in a tough spot. I know some employers take advantage of this, but we have to find a way to do this."

http://www.theindependent.com/stories/0 ... .xml.shtml