Bipartisan Immigration Compromise Unveiled

WASHINGTON – Leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to push far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer, toughening border security and providing a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people now in the U.S. illegally.

The eight senators who endorsed the general principles include Republicans John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida. Democrats are Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado.

New Mexico’s congressional Democrats applauded the proposal, while the delegation’s lone Republican, Rep. Steve Pearce, said he liked parts of it but expressed skepticism about the path to citizenship.

Democratic Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich both said they were “very encouraged” by the Senate plan.

“This is something that seems to have legs,” Heinrich told the Journal. “People seem to realize that the time is now to come up with solutions. My hope is that this is the time we can actually get this done.”

But Heinrich and Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., also suggested that the “triggers” to achieving citizenship, such as paying a fine and passing a criminal background check, must not be insurmountable.

“I want to see what the actual trigger mechanism is for the path to citizenship and make sure it’s functional,” Heinrich said. “I want to look at the provisions around agricultural workers. I’m highly encouraged we’re seeing talk on both sides of the aisle.”

“It is encouraging to me that there is bipartisan agreement on the need to move forward in a comprehensive manner, which includes helping more than 11 million undocumented individuals get on an earned pathway to citizenship,” Lujan Grisham said.

Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., said the Senate proposal mirrors that of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which he and Lujan Grisham are both members.

“There is a growing coalition – from the high-tech sector to law enforcement, from the agricultural sector to the faith community – that is calling for action,” Luján said.

Pearce said that he liked parts of the proposal but that the plan “incentivizes illegal entry as a path to citizenship.”

“Those who wish to remain here as guest workers should be able to do so – getting out of the shadows, paying taxes and receiving standard worker protections,” Pearce said. “I believe that those here illegally should be able to choose which path they take, citizenship or guest worker, but the paths must be separate and the citizenship line should begin at home, in the rear of the line of people who have waited years or even decades to follow the law and come here legally.”

Udall said the proposal bodes well for the U.S. economy.

“I’m pleased that it (the proposal) would provide further certainty for DREAMers and recognizes the importance of workforce stability within the agriculture industry,” Udall said.

The eight senators who endorsed the proposal acknowledged pitfalls that have doomed such efforts in the past but suggested November’s elections – with Hispanics voting heavily for President Barack Obama and other Democrats – could make this time different.

Political challenge

Still, passage of the emotionally charged legislation by the Democratic-controlled Senate is far from assured, and a taller hurdle could come later in the House, which is dominated by conservative Republicans who have shown little interest in immigration overhaul.

Today, President Obama will lay out his own proposals, most of which mirror the Senate plans.

Besides the citizenship provision, including new qualifications, the Senate measure would increase border security, allow more temporary workers to stay, and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants.

The plans are still short on detail, and all the senators conceded that months of negotiations lie ahead. They are expected to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to back up the reform blueprint they unveiled Monday.

Senate leaders said chances are better for immigration reform now than in 2007, the last time Congress attempted a major overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws.

“Other bipartisan groups of senators have stood in the same spot before, trumpeting similar proposals,” Schumer said. “But we believe this will be the year Congress finally gets it done.”

McCain said, “The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens. And we realize that there are many issues on which we think we are in agreement with our Hispanic citizens, but this is a pre-eminent issue with those citizens.”

The president will endorse the Senate process at an event today in Las Vegas, Nev., administration officials said. He will outline a similar vision for overhauling the nation’s immigration laws, drawing on the immigration blueprint he first released in 2011.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal