May 29, 2007
Immigration: On The Road Again
In the dog days of the summer of 2006, Republican leaders in Congress hit the road to hold a number of field hearings on immigration reform close to the U.S.-Mexican border. Nearly a year later, lawmakers still haven't reached a "comprehensive" agreement on the issue and are once again moving the debate from Capitol Hill to the main streets of America.
The latest immigration deal is likely to be the focus of federal lawmakers' visits to their districts during this week's Memorial Day recess. And while the proposed bill has the support of President Bush and the so-called Gang of 12 Senate negotiators, it seems to have angered more than it has encouraged.
Over the weekend, presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle took aim at the compromise, while the lawmakers who helped broker the deal found themselves bombarded with calls from frustrated constituents. Interest groups ranging from the business and labor communities to advocates for minority populations are expected to lobby heavily for changes to the bill.
But the deal's supporters are, for now, remaining steadfast. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez have argued the president's position that the bill represents the best chance at a comprehensive solution. And earlier today, President Bush took his message of support for the plan to Georgia, delivering an address at the headquarters of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
Bush said stepped-up border enforcement measures are working, and he argued that "now we've got to build on the progress." "I appreciate the Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate... who put politics aside and put courage first to work on a comprehensive bill," he added, acknowledging the political risks at stake. "It takes a lot of courage in the face of some of the criticism in the political world to do what's right, not what's comfortable. And what's right is to fix this system now before it's too late."
Despite Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's assurance that the debate won't affect the re-election prospects of his fellow Republicans in 2008, there are strong indicators that the GOP faces the greatest risk of political fallout from the re-heated immigration debate, whether the bill passes or not. A National Journal poll [PDF] of lawmakers last week showed both Democrats and Republicans sharply divided over the bill. More than three-quarters of GOP respondents said they could not support the bill as is, and only 45 percent of Democrats said they could.
Posted at 3:24 PM
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Immigration
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