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Many fear America will become Mexico with benefits
By Ron Harris
POST-DISPATCH WASHINGTON BUREAU
05/06/2006

WASHINGTON

Despite the million legal and illegal immigrants who poured into the nation's streets last week and the country's heightened focus on immigration policy, members of Congress say it is highly unlikely that there will be immigration reform coming out of Washington this year.

The House of Representatives and the Senate are so far apart in their views on what is needed to halt the flow of illegal immigration, some members say, that they may not be able to find enough common ground for a compromise bill.

"I could see that happening," said Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R- Cape Girardeau.

The House passed a bill in December that calls for increased border agents and vast fences along the Mexican border. Under the legislation, the nation would spend more than $2.2 billion to build five border fences in California and Arizona, a length of 698 miles at a cost of $3.2 million a mile.

The bill also would force employers to verify workers' legal status by checking their Social Security numbers through a national database or face fines of as much as $25,000 for each violation.

Additionally, it increased penalties for "coyotes," bandits who smuggle immigrants across the border for pay, often leaving them to die in the desert. It also made being an illegal immigrant a crime instead of a civil matter, and introduced legislation that would make anyone who helps or houses an illegal immigrant - including family members - a criminal as well.

Some senators have called the bill "draconian" and "punitive." They say the biggest failing is that doesn't address the issue of what to do with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now in the U.S.

Senate fails to agree on compromise bill

In its latest stab at immigration overhaul, the Senate considered versions of a bill co-sponsored by Sens. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.

It includes the guest worker program that President George W. Bush wants and a plan that many Democrats want for granting citizenship over time to some of the illegal immigrants already here.

But that compromise fell apart last month, and senators have struggled to come up with a plan that they feel could get through the House without having the guest workers provisions and legalization removed during a conference committee of both houses.

"The problem is you've almost got a split right down the middle in the Republican Party," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said. "There is a wing that is adamant about not providing a pathway to citizenship. If that is their position and they don't budge from that, it's hard to see getting anything done before November."

The subject of immigration reform has been floating around Washington since January 2004, when Bush announced that he wanted Congress to consider immigration reform that included a guest worker program.

But in recent months, the subject has really taken hold with the public.

"It's been bubbling up since about 2001, but it's in full flames now," Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country, said.

Emerson said she has received more letters on the subject from her constituents than on any subject in her 10 years in Washington.

Letters to newspapers critical of marchers

Newspapers around the country reported a huge surge in letters from readers on immigration after Monday's marches and protests.

Dodie Hofstetter, Voice of the People editor at the Chicago Tribune, said she received more than 100 letters after the demonstrations.

"On one issue, that's quite a bit," she said.

Julie Green, letters editor at the Los Angeles Times, said she received more than twice that many.

Jamie Riley, letters editor for the Post-Dispatch, said she has received more than 200 letters on immigration in the past four weeks.

"That's counting only the people who have written locally and not the ones from out of state," Riley said. "That's a lot of letters on a specific topic over the course of one month."

"There are concerns," said Carroll Doherty, an associate director of the Pew Research Center who has been polling Americans about their attitudes toward immigration issues. "There are concerns about jobs, concerns about traditional values, concerns about the impact on government services.

"The people at the lower end of the education and income spectrum are more opposed to immigration than those who have more education and have higher income. The interesting thing is there is that the same divisions exist among Democrats as among Republicans."

Ironically, some say Monday's march, while it reinvigorated the immigration debate, may have hardened certain constituencies against immigration reform, making it even more difficult for some politicians to consider a guest worker program or a program for turning illegal immigrants into legal residents without leaving the country.

Most of the letters to the Chicago Tribune took a dim view of the march and its participants, Hofstetter said.

The response from readers of the Indianapolis Star Tribune was "overwhelmingly negative," said Tim Swarens, the editorial page editor.

"Our letter writers were turned off by the marches," he said. "Some were angered by it."

Most of the letters the Post-Dispatch received were unsympathetic toward the demonstration, Riley said.

"Several suggested that the marchers protest in Mexico about the Mexican government and its inability to provide for its citizen," she said. "Some suggested that people who came here illegally have no standing to suggest a change to U.S. laws."

Nick Charles is editor of AOL BlackVoices.com, a Web site with 3 million visitors a month that targets African-Americans. Charles said much of the talk in the Web site's chat rooms was negative as well.

"People were saying things like, "I'll tell you what they are trying to do, make the United States Mexico with benefits.'

"Some people are upset that they are tying their movement into the civil rights movement," Charles said.

Edwardsville farmer sees needs for guest workers

In Edwardsville, Fred and Pam Heepke, who run a 2,100 acre farm, said they would like to see a guest worker program.

Fred Heepke heads the Horseradish Growers Association of Illinois. The state produces more horseradish than any other.

Pam Heepke said she and other growers use much-needed migrant workers from November to March to harvest the horseradish and prepare them for shipment.

"They work well for us," she said. "It would be very difficult if we didn't have those workers. We have used local people in the past, but with the seasonable labor force that we need, there are not people who are available who will only work five months of the year."

The labor to harvest the 100-acre horseradish crop is the most intensive and expensive labor related to the farm, she said. They use 10 workers to harvest and package the 100 acres of horseradish, she said, compared with four people to harvest and prepare the 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans.

So, the Horseradish Growers Association has written letters to Representatives Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, and John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, saying that its members support a guest worker program.

But aside from the handful of horseradish growers and those in the nursery industry, "there is no support for a guest worker program" among his other constituents, Shimkus said.

"Most people in Southern Illinois want border security and they want to know who is coming into the country and want people to comply with the law," he said.

Consequently, many Republicans and some Democrats on Capitol Hill are having a difficult time embracing any proposals regarding guest workers or legalization for illegal immigrants.

Still, some politicians, like Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, R-Ill., a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, remain upbeat about the chances of passing a bill that could be signed into law.

"I'm cautiously optimistic about where we're going," Gutierrez said. "There are going to be many hurdles, many obstacles. It's really going to depend on how strong the measure is that comes out of the Senate."

rharris@post-dispatch.com 202-298-6880