By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press
Writer
May 23, 2007
WASHINGTON - Republicans and Democrats placed strict new conditions
on a broad immigration measure Wednesday, as the White House
and the bipartisan group that crafted it fought to keep their
compromise intact.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly to slash the number of foreign
workers who could come to the U.S. on temporary visas. It also
endorsed toughening the security measures that would have to
be in place before millions of illegal immigrants could begin
gaining permanent legal status or a new temporary worker program
could be launched.
The measure faced new challenges as Democrats sought to loosen
its limits on family-based immigration and Republicans proposed
further security measures.
The guest worker program would be capped at 200,000 a year
under the Democratic proposal approved Wednesday, which passed
74-24 over strong opposition by the Bush administration.
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said the change, proposed
by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., would interfere with a "central
component" of the White House-backed immigration measure.
That plan provided for 400,000 worker visas annually, plus
an option to increase that number to 600,000 if market conditions
demand it.
"The Bingaman amendment would eliminate this critical
flexibility and cut the size of the temporary worker program
in half," Gutierrez said in a statement.
Senators approved a proposal by Republican Sen. Judd Gregg
of New Hampshire to toughen the bill's so-called triggers,
which condition the temporary worker program and the granting
of legal status to illegal immigrants to strict border security
and workplace enforcement measures.
They also adopted a proposal by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,
to crack down with mandatory prison sentences on illegal immigrants
who re-enter the U.S.
The changes came as the administration urged the Senate to
approve the immigration legislation despite fresh criticism
from presidential hopefuls and lawmakers in both parties.
"The proposal offers a much-needed solution for our nation's
broken immigration system," the White House budget office
said in a statement. "This proposal would deliver an immigration
system that is secure, productive, orderly and fair."
But in a reminder of the widespread distaste for the measure
within President Bush's party, House GOP leader John Boehner
of Ohio was quoted describing the bill with a common four-letter
expletive during a closed-door meeting Tuesday.
His office said the comment, first reported on National Journal's "Hotline" blog,
was "nothing but an off-the-cuff wisecrack made jokingly
during a private gathering," but noted that Boehner has "serious
concerns" about the Senate measure.
The bill would grant an estimated 12 million unlawful immigrants
quick legal status and toughen border security. It also would
create a new workplace verification system to bar undocumented
workers from getting jobs.
It would set up a point system for future immigration applicants
that would place less emphasis on family connections and more
on education and skills in demand by U.S. businesses.
Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democratic presidential hopeful,
announced plans to challenge the point system, saying it devalued
family.
The scheme "constitutes at minimum a radical experiment
in social engineering and a departure from our tradition of
having family and employers invite immigrants to come," Obama
said, adding that he would work to phase it out.
A 2008 rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said she
would seek to exempt the spouses and minor children of legal
permanent residents from visa caps, to speed a multi-year backlog
that keeps families apart.
Still another Democratic presidential contender, Sen. Christopher
Dodd of Connecticut, proposed raising to 90,000 from 40,000
the measure's yearly limit on visas for the parents of U.S.
citizens.
Republicans have proposed several modifications to further
bolster border security and make it more difficult for illegal
immigrants to get on a path to citizenship.
The Senate was considering a proposal by Sen. Charles Grassley,
R-Iowa, that would allow visas to be revoked without court
review.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was seeking to bar unlawful immigrants
who have been ordered deported from gaining legal status. His
proposal would also ensure that terrorists, gang members, sex
offenders, gun smugglers or repeat drunken drivers are barred.
The conservatives, liberals and centrists who reached the
deal are struggling to protect it by working to defeat proposed
changes they consider unacceptable.
Senate leaders have postponed a final vote until June.
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