Republicans in Senate Spar Over Immigration

By Gebe Martinez, Houston Chronicle

Mar. 30–WASHINGTON — The emotional debate over immigration reached the Senate floor late Wednesday afternoon, with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist saying that amnesty for those who crossed the borders illegally threatens national security. “A nation that cannot secure its borders cannot secure its destiny,” said Frist, who introduced a bill that cracks down on illegal immigration through stronger border enforcement. The Senate debate pitted Republican against Republican over how to fix the broken immigration system.

While the United States is a nation of laws, “at the same time we pride ourselves in being a compassionate nation,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said, arguing for a bill passed by his committee on Monday by a bipartisan vote. That bill would create a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants now in the country. The GOP rift also played out on the House side, where top Republicans broke ranks with President Bush over his opposition to building a fence along the Mexico border. While saying “the president certainly is privileged to his views,” House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., strongly defended a House immigration bill that includes a 700-mile fence along portions of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Guest workers discussed At the same time, Hastert opened the door for House consideration of the president’s proposal to create temporary guest worker visas — an idea opposed by GOP conservatives. “We are not going to discount anything right now,” Hastert said, acknowledging “there is a need in some sectors of the economy for a guest worker program.” Neither of the two bills being considered by the Senate includes the border fence, except for relatively short stretches in Arizona that were requested by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. The Judiciary Committee bill would provide 400,000 temporary worker visas for future immigrant workers and an 11-year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants now here. Frist’s bill focuses on border control. In recent days, Bush has increasingly supported the contours of the Judiciary Committee’s bill, which is modeled on legislation filed by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. “One, we’re a nation of immigrants. Two, our soul is refreshed by newcomers to society. Three, we love the idea of people starting with nothing and ending up with something in America. Four, we value family values, no matter where they may be. And five, we have to be careful about the language we use when it comes to debating this important subject,” Bush said Wednesday in a speech to Freedom House, a nonpartisan group that promotes the expansion of freedom in the world. Fence called ‘impractical’ Bush spoke against the border fence as “impractical” on Tuesday, a day before leaving for Mexico to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox. The proposed border fence has become a symbol of the get-tough, anti-illegal immigration House bill that has drawn protests from immigrant activists. House leaders view the fence as a key deterrent to human-smuggling and drug-trafficking. “I will stand by that (fence) issue, I think the Congress will stand by that issue. What we want is results,” Hastert said. The House bill would impose criminal penalties on illegal immigrants and employers who hire them. The leadership did not allow consideration of a temporary worker visa. Frist, who has promised that the Senate will produce a comprehensive bill, faulted the House legislation for its narrow focus on enforcement. On the other hand, Frist said on the Senate floor, the Specter bill “goes too far” because it offers amnesty, which will “encourage future and further disrespect for the law.” But Specter firmly disagreed, saying that immigrants faced significant hurdles before getting green cards or citizenship. gebe.martinez@chron.com

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