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Pressure's on to deal with border
Congress expected to take up volatile and complex illegal immigration issue in coming weeks


Deborah Barfield Berry and Doug Abrahms
Desert Sun Washington Bureau
December 6, 2005

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WASHINGTON - Immigration issues top the immediate to-do list in the Capitol this winter.
It makes sense to Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs.

"I do believe there is a growing sense of urgency among (House) members that we take this up," Bono said.

"I think it's the No. 1 issue I hear about."

House Republican leaders have vowed to take up an immigration bill that focuses on border security as soon as this month. Senate Republican leaders pledged to address the issue early next year.

A bipartisan Senate proposal would allow up to 450,000 foreigners a year to work temporarily in the United States as they seek citizenship.

Meanwhile, a House plan would stiffen fines for employers hiring workers who are in the country illegally.

Those proposals are part of a raft of measures lawmakers are expected to consider in the next few weeks as they wrestle with the volatile issue of overhauling the nation's immigration policies.

Last week, President Bush, who toured the Southwest border, and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff outlined plans to tighten border security and urged Congress to change immigration policies, including allowing undocumented immigrants to work here temporarily.


But just passing another bill won't solve the problem, said Russell Kitahara, a grapefruit grower in Thermal.
"Agriculture lives off these (undocumented immigrants) and now the recreation industry does, too," he said. "They might have the political will to enact legislation, but they don't have the political will to enforce" the laws.

Karan Kler, director of the Coachella Valley Immigration Services and Assistance, said many undocumented workers would jump at the chance to sign up for a guest worker program.

But the United States sends mixed messages to undocumented workers, he said, noting that they are given Internal Revenue Service numbers for tax reasons but cannot obtain driver's licenses.

Kler has a client who passed the state boards to work as an architect but cannot legally drive, he said. The United States is creating a large underclass that works here but has few rights, he said, and new legislation seems aimed at punishing undocumented immigrants rather than fixing the immigration problem.

"I am scared if we carry on like this," he said. "I'm already seeing anti-immigrant sentiment growing. We need immigration reform."

While most of the emphasis has been on border security, lawmakers, immigration advocates and experts argue for a more comprehensive reform proposal. One sticking point is what to do with the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants already here.

Under a visa program proposed by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., foreign workers would be required to register, have a job lined up and pay a fee. Six years later, they could apply for a green card after paying another fine and undergoing a background check.

A competing measure proposed by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., has a tougher guest worker provision that allows for two-year visas but requires immigrants to go home before they can apply for permanent status. Those already here illegally also would have to go home and return through proper legal channels.

Bush also has called for a guest worker program, but hasn't outlined specifics. Some Republican conservatives oppose the approach and liken it to amnesty.

"Is there such a thing as too much immigration? Some people say no," said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a longtime proponent of overhauling the immigration system. "There are 6 billion people on the planet. They can't all live in the United States."

The Senate is more likely to offer a balanced approach between security and immigration, said Angela Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum.

House Republicans, she said, want to "give some red meat to their base and to appear really tough. They're walking a tight rope. If they go too far, it could anger the Latino vote, an important constituency."

Local communities are feeling the impact of illegal immigration as they weigh such issues as whether to give children of undocumented residents in-state tuition, whether to grant driver's licenses and even whether to allow undocumented immigrants to vote in PTA elections, said Deborah Meyers, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.

"Many see it as radioactive but there's a reality that over 10 million in the United States are undocumented and undocumented people continue to grow by over 500,000 per year," Meyers said. "There's a reality that more and more states and localities are having to deal with the consequences of this flow."