Southern Lawmakers Working On Compromise To Bush Immigration Plan

SignOnSanDiego ^ | February 29, 2004 | ASSOCIATED PRESS

[yonif]

WASHINGTON – Conservatives balking at President Bush's proposal to grant illegal immigrants three-year work permits are floating a counteroffer that would hamper his efforts to woo Hispanic voters in November's election.

It's a dicey political predicament for the president, one that seems likely to push a final vote on key elements of his plan into 2005, well after the November balloting.

Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., and Sens. Zell Miller, D-Ga., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., are conditioning their support for Bush's plan on Congress agreeing to also broaden the power of state and local police to arrest suspected illegal residents.

"If they don't have this in it, they'll pass that bill over my cold, dead political body," Sessions said of Bush's proposal.

Sessions, Miller and Norwood say they speak for thousands of conservatives who believe stronger enforcement of immigration laws must accompany any plan that would let illegal immigrants remain in the country legally.

Because federal immigration agents are stretched too thin, they argue, 650,000 local police officers should be given the authority and resources to go after immigrants still undocumented after Bush's plan takes effect. Immigrant advocates say the distrust that would raise between Hispanics and police would erase any political advantage the president might hope to gain.

"Latinos very much support law enforcement, which is why we think making police officers immigration agents is a terrible idea," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza. "If the victim of domestic violence feels she can't be calling police because they might be asking for papers, that's bad for the public safety."

Many Senate Democrats agree that conditioning the work permits for illegals on deputizing local police to help enforce immigration laws would do more harm than good.

"Our police officers have gone about the business of protecting their communities, and left the federal government to enforce civil immigration laws," said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "The division of labor makes a great deal of sense, and the burden faced by those who would change it should be awfully high."

Norwood said his Clear Law Enforcement for the Criminal Alien Removal Act could actually be popular among Latinos because it targets law breakers, particularly those identified as crime suspects in a national computer database.

"If you got tough with the enforcement of our laws, I honestly believe you would get more votes from the Hispanic community," Norwood said.

Administration officials are treading carefully on the concept of local enforcement, but supporters of the Norwood and Sessions bills are interpreting some of their recent comments to mean they might be open to the idea.

Questioned by Sessions at a recent hearing, Asa Hutchinson, the Homeland Security Department's undersecretary for border and transportation security, conceded there are not enough federal agents to go after illegal immigrants every time the police call them in.

Hutchinson then pointed out that Bush is asking Congress to double work-site enforcement, detention and removal facilities in the 2005 budget.

At another hearing, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, asked Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to consider forging "cooperative law enforcement agreements" with local police rather than spending money on training new federal immigration agents.

Ridge said Craig's idea had gotten mixed reviews on the local level, but he didn't rule it out.

"Part of the reason may be philosophical, others may be fiscal," Ridge said. "Either way, you've got 650,000 men and women in local law enforcement that should be viewed as a potential asset and resource in enforcing the new law, whatever it might be."

Craig, who is co-sponsoring Sessions' bill, is also pushing one of his own that would establish an agriculture worker program. Although he said he doesn't care whether the enforcement proposal passes first or last, he acknowledged that conservatives may block other immigration plans without it.

"In a broad-based approach of the kind the president is talking about, that linkage might be necessary," Craig said.

[janetgreen]

It's still a cloaked amnesty, no matter how they try to dress it up. It shouldn't even be considered, let alone dressed up. It is estimated that 70% of Americans are strongly against this. Who is President Bush representing, 30% of America? That wasn't in the deal when we elected him.

[Iron Matron]

Immigrants who want to do the jobs americans dont want to do - should work for their welfare by picking up the garbage from our roads, and helping america recycle by doing the dirty, expensive job of sorting our trash.

Recycling is expensive. With immigrant-run recycle centers, we could clean our environment and help immigrants keep their dignity by WORKING FOR the opportunity they are currently handed!

Im for NO immigration of any kind, but if they want in - they ought to not only be humble but REALLY do the job americans dont want to do!

PS the RNC keeps bugging me because my donations have lapsed. They are not listening to my answers to their correspondance: Bush gives up amnesty or he gives up my money _ HIS CHOICE!

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[international american]

You are correct....you can't rewrite an evil bill!

[Cold Heat]

Administration officials are treading carefully on the concept of local enforcement, but supporters of the Norwood and Sessions bills are interpreting some of their recent comments to mean they might be open to the idea.

Certainly they are open to the idea.

The president said "we must strengthen control of the borders!"

This is but posturing by the lawmakers, and is the norm.

This bill is hardly in it's infancy as of yet.

[EllaMinnow]

What evil bill?

Presidents don't write bills, congress does.
Senators Miller and Sessions are just starting their bill - is that the one you're calling evil?

[cksharks]

If you voted for him in 2000 then you did support this. It was in every campaign speech he gave.

[Cold Heat]

Certainly amazing that so many judgments are made about something that has yet to be written.

Totally dismissed out of hand, before it even sees the light of day!

Worse than that, the disparaging remarks have made there way to the millions of potential illegal aliens who now believe that there is going to be an "A-word").............................

[cksharks]

I guess your family were just incubated here.

[Cold Heat]

There=their........ooops

[PRND21]

It's still a cloaked amnesty

Cloaked? So much for the frivilous blanket.
Say it enough and you'll believe it one day.

[Regulator]

*yawn* Smoke screen. Local police have always had authority to detain suspected illegal aliens. Court case after court case has supported that; in the early 70's, it was commonplace in the Southwest to see a local cop calling in the BP vans for a car that had just been stopped.

The only reason the practice ever stopped was because of chanting from the Ford Foundation supported reconquista groups, who just repeated over and over again that "eeemeegration is a federal matter, the local police have no jurisdiction". Nonsense, but they got a lot of cops to believe it.

We can talk about guest worker programs when:

• Those already here have to go home to apply
• No family reunification, since that's a subterfuge to get Anchor Babies in
• The Anchor Baby fraud is ended
• Affirmative Action for the amorphous group known as "hispanics" is ended
• No state or federal welfare benefits of any kind
• Working conditions and labor rates are IDENTICAL or better than those offered to citizens, and are congruent with existing labor laws
• Unemployment rate is below 2%, and citizen welfare recipients are all employed

In other words, end the Welfare State, end the Ethnic Identity Inequality which disenfranchises Americans, and prevent the hiring of foreign nationals to engage in wage competition, and then we'll talk.

Since the likelihood of any of these happening is ZERO, I know that I'm safe in suggesting them as a precondition for a "guest worker" program. But if the Senators truly wanted to use this issue to get something, they could insist on it.

[ravingnutter]

Have you seen H.R. 3534 (introduced by Rep. Tom Tancredo)? We need to support this bill by writing our Congresscritters instead of wasting our breath complaining about Bush's plan. Bush knew his plan wasn't going anywhere, it was part pandering and part throwing down of the gauntlet to Congress to take action...IOW, all politics.

[Iron Matron]

I guess your family were just incubated here

My family has never taken a government hand-out. We WORK for a living, paying taxes and contributing to the general welfare of this country.

Illegal immigrants can not make that claim. Even legal immigrants do not have the fortitude to take care of their OWN countries (or they would have stayed and fought for their country like MY FOREFATHERS!). From what I've seen they are NOT LOYAL to the United States when they get here.

Having to actually be employees of the United States citizen (the citizen WHO PAYS FOR THEIR FOOD, MEDICAL, ETC) rather than come here and reap the benefits of MY HARD WORK while they sit on their. . . as I was saying,immigrants need to be a bit more humble about what they are getting for free.

Immigrants come here wanting FREEDOM for free. Freedom which my forefathers worked, fought and died for, they also want free food, medical, etc..and IM THE ONE WORKING FOR THAT!

Incubated or not - I WORK so should immigrants.

[Cold Heat]

Incubated or not - I WORK so should immigrants.

Work Visa is lost on you I guess.

Maybe they should call it "Really Work Visa"

[cksharks]

What a stupid statement. It is also based on fiction.Your right you were dropped on your head when you were incubated. you must be one lof pats devils.

[Cold Heat]

I think there is much to consider regarding the Tancredo plan.

When and if they sit down in committee and begin work on this, rather than posture, I am sure these code changes will get attention.

[MissAmericanPie]

"Latinos very much support law enforcement, which is why we think making police officers immigration agents is a terrible idea," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza"

Now there is something to make you spit. wonder if Cecilia was at the Veterans cemetray in Cali when her La Raza group decided to beat up 70 year old veterans on Memorial Day for displaying the American Flag? Open the deportation of illegals to government regulated private enterprise. Some savvy Americans, layed off because of outsourcing or illegals running their wages down, will appreciate the opportunity for such a start up business as driving illegals to the border.

[Iron Matron]

you must be one lof pats devils.


. . .and you must be fresh off the welfare roles.