The Bulletin - Philadelphia's Family Newspaper - State Immigration Amnesty Opponents Pleased With Support


11/07/2007
State Immigration Amnesty Opponents Pleased With Support
By: Joe Murray , The Bulletin

With two major victories under its belt and growing support in national polls, proponents of amnesty-free immigration reform have witnessed a political renaissance in which their once decried xenophobic views are now being welcomed into the mainstream.

This newfound political muscle has crippled switchboards, dampened presidential ambitions and created a movement that can no longer be relegated to the fringe.

"This momentum has been sustained by the citizenry," said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler). Mr. Metcalfe is Harrisburg's most vocal immigration critic, and he asserts recent defeats of amnesty legislation in the nation's capital have resulted in many Pennsylvania lawmakers re-evaluating their position on illegal immigration.

"In Harrisburg, more and more of my colleagues are getting on the immigration bandwagon," explained Mr. Metcalfe. Such a second look, suggested the immigration reform advocate, stems from the Senate's defeat of two key amnesty bills.

Earlier this year, the Senate underwent several weeks of heated debate in which key lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), vigorously fought for the passage of the Kennedy-McCain-Bush immigration bill, a bill granting legal status to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the nation. The bill was soundly defeated.

The strength of the immigration reform movement was demonstrated, once again, when the DREAM Act was defeated despite an attempt to rush debate and a vote, thus minimizing the amount of time opponents had to mobilize.

"It should not be surprising that the voice of the people has been successful," Mr. Metcalfe said. Such national stories provides the state lawmaker hope his immigration reform package, named National Security Begins at Home, will be able to leap the hurdles opposing lawmakers have placed before it.

Under his legislative package, Pennsylvania would require mandatory employer enrollment in a Social Security verification program, permit state and local law enforcement to assist federal authorities in enforcing immigration laws, create a data base of illegal aliens, terminate professional licenses of those who hire illegal aliens and stop funding public benefits for illegal aliens.

"There is still a lot of resistance to the package," reported Mr. Metcalfe. While some state lawmakers are trying to rehabilitate their image on the immigration issue, Mr. Metcalfe warned voters need to be aware that what people say is not as important as what they do, or in this case, how they vote.

"We have to be mindful that while some may be vocally supportive in public, they are more than willing to undermine the movement behind closed doors," he said.

http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm ... 6361&rfi=6