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Opposition to US immigration bill intensifies


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Opposition to a compromise immigration overhaul grew on Monday, with labor unions and Hispanic groups saying the deal brokered by leading US senators and the White House was bad for workers, families and employers.

The League of United Latin American Citizens, one of the country's oldest and largest Hispanic groups, said it opposed the plan's limits on family-based immigration. A labor union and another Hispanic group said they would work to change the proposed law as it moves through Congress.

The opposition emerged as the Senate began debating the compromise plan, brokered in closed-door talks between White House officials and about a dozen Republican and Democratic senators.

US President George W. Bush said he would ask that opponents actually read the bill before offering opinions on its content.

"There's no question this is an emotional debate. But people have to realize that in order to have border security, you must have a comprehensive approach to immigration reform," Bush said in a Reuters interview.

He said the compromise "was a very serious effort to bridge a wide gulf that had existed in the Senate."

The measure would combine tough new border security and workplace enforcement measures with a temporary worker program and a plan to legalize an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country before January 2007.

In addition to limits on family-based immigration, the citizens’ league said it also opposed the temporary worker program because it would require laborers to return home for a year after each two-year work period. Temporary workers would be allowed a total of three two-year visas.

"This bill will dehumanize workers, short-change employers and lead to widespread undocumented immigration as many workers inevitably overstay their visas rather than return home," the group's president, Rosa Rosales, said in a statement.

The AFL-CIO plans a news conference on Tuesday with civil rights and Hispanic groups to outline their concerns about the guest worker program, new limits on family-based immigration and a proposed new merit-based system for future immigrants.

Reducing temporary workers

The Service Employees International Union plans to join that news conference, but officials said they hoped to work with lawmakers to change the bill as it moves through the Senate and eventually the House of Representatives.

Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of the SEIU, said requiring immigrants to return home to apply for permanent residence was unworkable. The union, which has about 1.8 million members, also wants more labor protections for guest workers and a path to citizenship.

"We are going to be evaluating every step of the way and at some point we will see what the final package looks like," he said in an interview.

National Council of La Raza Vice President Cecilia Munoz said her group would try to reshape the bill. "It is important that we get a good bill over the finish line," she said.

Dozens of amendments are expected and it is unclear whether the compromise will remain intact as it works its way through the Senate.

One of the first amendments will be aimed at reducing the number of visas available for temporary workers each year from 400,000 to 200,000. The amendment is being offered by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat.

The bill also faces stiff opposition from conservative Republicans who see it as an amnesty that rewards illegal immigrants who broke US laws.

"This bill is compromising to the country's economy, national security and very foundation of a democracy rooted in the rule of law," said Sen. Jim Bunning, a Kentucky Republican.

"Each low-skilled immigrant household that gets amnesty costs the American taxpayers nearly $20,000 each year if we consider only the illegal aliens given amnesty," he said.

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porsteamboy

MSN video Looks like local Governments are cracking down on the Illeagal Resident problem.

ChrisF202

Actually all of those actions are being overturned by the courts. God forbid someone challenges Bush's chosen ones!

I dont understand this; every SINGLE person I know is opposed to this amnesty plan and alot of them are constantly sending letters, emails, faxes to their senators and Congress members and none of them are listening to us. Everywhere I go I hear people complaining about how "the politicians are selling us out" and such, I went to lunch yesterday and it seemed like the whole restaurant was about to march out the door and attack the Capitol building. Why wont they listen to us? What will it take for them to just once listen to the voice of the American people?

yoda9999

It's very difficult to deal with the illegal immigration issue because businesses depends on illegal immigrant labor. The $$$ we save on illegal immigrant labor can be invested in more useful things.

porsteamboy

Illeagle immigration is about a cheap work force, those people are here to work. They could care less ( even may not care at all ) of becoming a US citizen. If one is from Mexico and makes $7.00 hr. he sends it home through the remittance program, last I checked the exchange rate was 11 Pesos to one USD. If they pay no US taxes, a 48 hr. work week pay is 336 USD, 3,696 in Pesos. Thats why they are here, can you blame them? The only way it can be controlled is by cracking down hard on the people who hire them and its not always the company, alot of the companys go through a hiring agent ( most are shady at best) but it gives the company plausable denial LTG: Remittances Increasingly a Part of the Globalized Economy

yoda9999

I don't know if I want to crack down on myself. I hire immigrants to clean my house. Do I ask if they are legal? No. Any Americans want to clean my house? No.

kams

I have gone through the draft immigration legislation. Find it really hilarious, especially the new merit based point system. A legal 'potential' immigrant with a Post Doc in say Molecular Biology will earn less points than an illegal illiterate worker with 5 years experience in Tomato picking (oh BTW they have to work for only 100 days a year). 20 million future 'potential' votes is rather attractive inducement. Good Luck.

Blademaster

This is a direct response to the lobbying efforts of disgruntled laid off IT workers who saw their jobs being outsourced to India and other countries. They are afraid of losing skilled jobs to immigrants and overseas.

porsteamboy

Do you directly hire them? If you do,you should be asking. Doesn't matter how you rationalize it, your wrong. Welcome to Small Town Defenders! | Small Town Defenders - Hazleton, Pennsylvania This is what its going to take to correct the problem, which you are contributing to.

kams

Yep, but the irony is this will lead to more outsourcing, not less!! Pharma is following IT.

siwab

The good thing about this bill is that the issue has moved to the front burner from years of obscurity for people to vigorously voice their opinion. As for merits in the arguments, those who personally or as an organization benefited or continue to benefit using illegals want them to stay and those who are not, want tough measures. In principle, giving amnesty to thousands for breaking the law and not face the consequences just because they are in great numbers is not a good idea.

bonehead

Money talks. Whining and complaining walks. If you want your politition to listen, you have to throw obscene amounts of money in his direction. Otherwise, your single voice is lost like a fart in the wind.