MinuteMan Updates

By ANITA KUMAR
Published May 14, 2007

WASHINGTON - Supporters of immigration reform considered themselves among the biggest winners in November when Democrats took control of both the House and Senate.

But four months into the new Congress, lawmakers are no closer to passing the landmark legislation than they were last year when they tried - and failed - to agree on a bill that addresses illegal immigrants, guest worker programs and border security.

Senators are scheduled to begin debating the issue again as soon as today with an initial vote expected Wednesday. But they don't have a bill to consider because months of negotiations have yet to produce a compromise.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada threatened to move forward with last year's bill even though many senators insist they will not support it this year.

Even Florida Republican Sen. Mel Martinez, usually an optimist, sounded doubtful last week when he put the odds of a bill passing this year at less than 50 percent.

"Right now, it looks difficult, " he said.

The unity widely anticipated among Democrats and President Bush on immigration never happened. Instead, conflicts remain within parties, within chambers, even within the White House.

"The public has an enormous hunger for a bipartisan solution but finding the sweet spot is difficult, " said Frank Sharry, executive director for the National Immigration Forum. "We're headed for a moment of truth. It's either a breakdown or a breakthrough."

Last year, conservative Republicans who complained the proposals were too lenient on illegal immigrants derailed any chances for a bill to pass. This year, some moderate Democrats, particularly freshmen from working class or rural districts, also oppose citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Polls show Americans overwhelming support immigration reform that includes citizenship, and Bush has continued to make it one of his top domestic goals. But the complicated issue continues to divide lawmakers and the top two congressional leaders have failed to make it a priority.

Negotiators say they are close to a deal though sticking points remain on how to deal with the 12-million illegal immigrants in the United States and whether relatives of those already in the country should be given preference over others.

"It's not quite as simple as people think, " said Mark Krikorian, executive director for the Center for Immigration Studies.

Last year, the Senate passed a bill supporting a path to citizenship, guest worker programs and border security. The House rejected the proposal, demanding only enforcement.

This year, the new Congress started from square one.

"I'm still hopeful, " said Tamar Jacoby of the conservative Manhattan Institute, who supports reform. "I just feel there is so much momentum building up."

A bill similar to last year's Senate proposal has been introduced in the House. The White House floated a more conservative plan. But neither is considered the compromise that could garner enough votes in the House and Senate.

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Tancredo said he is "in conflict" with the president, his own party and the congressional leadership on the issues of immigration and the growth of government. He said immigration pushed him to consider seeking the presidency.

"It is a huge issue and it affects every part of our life," he said. "The cost of health care is exacerbated by the fact that we are providing health care to millions of people who came here illegally and access our health care system for free. You pay. They get it."

Encouraging a "separate and bilingual nation," is "defacing" the country's own culture, Tancredo said.

Tancredo touted his pro-life and fiscally conservative voting record and said that Republicans need to "reconnect" and "re-establish" party ideals.

No Child Left Behind, Tancredo said, was the start of a long series of "very bad decisions" by the Bush administration. He assailed his party for spending too much money and "trying to buy votes," and said Republicans have to take as much responsibility as Democrats.

Tancredo cited the Hurricane Katrina aid package as an example of careless spending and cited the passage of the Medicare/Prescription Drug Act as an example of government increase.

"That was the largest increase in government since the creation of Medicare," he said. "Who did this? I can't blame the Democrats. I can't blame Clinton."

Regarding the war in Iraq, Tancredo described the conflict as "long-term" and said the U.S. was "successful" in the first phase of the war. He said the war is not a war against terror, but a war against radical Islam and called for the U.S. to "exploit the schisms" inside of it.

Tancredo said the nature of the war has changed and that the U.S. is now in a position of "refereeing a civil war." He said the U.S. needs to take a diplomatic and strategic approach and seek out threats such as Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda.

"Any place in the world where these people are grouping in order to attack us, we need to go and do it," he said. "It's absolutely imperative that we identify and take care of this threat because it's a real one. That's where we need to apply our resources and our strategy."

Tancredo, a native of Denver, represents Colorado's sixth congressional district. He is a former junior high school teacher who worked in the Department of Education under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush before being elected to Congress in 1998. He is a member of both the House International Relations and Resources committees. He also serves as the chairman of the bipartisan House Immigration Reform Caucus.

Visit: http://www.teamtancredo.com/