House Panel Takes Up Immigration Bill  06/18 13:28

   A key committee in the Republican-led House moved Tuesday toward approving a 
tough enforcement-focused immigration bill, over objections from Democrats and 
disruptions from protesters shouting "Shame, shame, shame!"

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- A key committee in the Republican-led House moved Tuesday 
toward approving a tough enforcement-focused immigration bill, over objections 
from Democrats and disruptions from protesters shouting "Shame, shame, shame!"

   Meanwhile in the Senate, a Republican lawmaker floated a compromise border 
security proposal he hopes can win over support for sweeping immigration 
legislation under consideration there that opens the door to citizenship for 11 
million immigrants now here illegally.

   And on a day of fast-paced developments on an issue that is a top priority 
for President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, moved to quiet 
speculation that he might bring the Senate immigration legislation up for a 
vote despite opposition from many conservatives in his chamber.

   "Any immigration reform bill that is going to go into law ought to have a 
majority of both parties' support if we're really serious about making that 
happen. And so I don't see any way of bringing an immigration bill to the floor 
that doesn't have a majority support of Republicans," Boehner said. He added 
that border enforcement would be key for any immigration bill, "And I frankly 
think the Senate bill is weak on border security."

   As Boehner addressed reporters, the House Judiciary Committee was meeting to 
consider a bill, called the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act, by Rep. 
Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. It would empower state and local officials to enforce 
federal immigration laws, make passport and visa fraud into aggravated felonies 
subject to deportation, funnel money into building more detention centers, and 
crack down on immigrants suspected of posing dangers.

   As soon as Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., gaveled the proceedings 
open, more than a dozen protesters who had been seated in the hearing room 
stood up and began clapping and chanting, "Shame, shame, shame! More of the 
same!" They were ushered out but their cries could still be heard in the 
hallway and Goodlatte stopped the proceedings until the protesters had been 
dispersed.

   Goodlatte said that the bill under consideration --- the first immigration 
bill to come to a vote in a House committee this year --- "provides a robust 
interior enforcement strategy that will maintain the integrity of our 
immigration system for the long term."

   But Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said that "this bill must be opposed, it 
would turn millions of undocumented immigrants into criminals overnight." She 
predicted mass protests were the bill to become law, along the lines of what 
happened in 2006 after the House passed a similarly tough enforcement bill.

   The move by the House Judiciary Committee comes less than two weeks after 
the full House voted to overturn Obama's 2012 election-year order to stop 
deportations of many immigrants brought here illegally as youths.

   Together the two moves highlight the challenges ahead in getting a 
comprehensive immigration bill through Congress this year, as Obama wants. For 
many House conservatives, the priorities when it comes to immigration remain 
enforcing the laws and securing the border, not allowing the millions here 
illegally to gain legal status or citizenship.

   Still, No. 2 House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland predicted 
Tuesday that if the Senate passes an immigration bill with bipartisan support, 
"I think the Republican leadership will be under great pressure to let the 
House work its will" --- Capitol Hill jargon for letting the House take up 
legislation even without majority support from the majority GOP.

   "I think the presidential wing of the Republican Party is absolutely 
convinced they need to be for an immigration bill," Hoyer said, saying they 
believe they have to "forge some bridge" to the Hispanic community. He added, 
"That same motivation does not apply to the congressional wing" of the GOP.

   As in the House, border security is at issue in the Democratic-led Senate, 
where senators have been jousting over how to strengthen the provisions in a 
far-reaching bill being considered on the floor this week to remake the 
nation's immigration laws. The bill would allow tens of thousands of high- and 
low-skilled workers into the country, and require all employers to check their 
workers' legal status. At its heart is a 13-year path to citizenship for people 
now here illegally, but that is contingent on certain border security goals 
being met.

   Republican critics say those "triggers" are too weak and have been demanding 
amendments to strengthen them. The Senate planned to vote Tuesday on an 
amendment by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., requiring 700 miles of double-layered 
border fencing before anyone here illegally could get a permanent resident 
green card.

   A more far-reaching proposal by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has been getting 
attention, but Democrats and some Republicans have dismissed it as a "poison 
pill" because it would require 90 percent of people attempting to cross the 
border to be stopped before anyone here illegally could get a permanent 
resident green card.

   The underlying bill also has the 90 percent figure as a goal, but doesn't 
make the path to citizenship directly contingent on achieving it.

   Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told The Associated Press Monday night that he has 
been working on an alternative with Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and others. 
Hoeven said his proposal also would require the 90 percent apprehension rate to 
be met before immigrants could get green cards. But he said his plan, unlike 
Cornyn's amendment, would make the 90 percent rate objective and achievable by 
specifying all the equipment and technology the border patrol says it needs to 
achieve the rate in each of the nine southwest border sectors, and carefully 
tracking attempted crossings.

   Hoeven said he hoped to unveil his amendment in the next day or two and said 
it could garner the support needed to get bipartisan support for the 
immigration bill.

   "Our effort is to get good legislation that truly secures the border," 
Hoeven said. "That people feel it's fair and it's not amnesty ... so we can get 
really a bipartisan consensus."

   However, Hoeven's amendment could encounter skepticism from immigrant groups 
and Democrats who want to be sure that the bill doesn't change in a way that 
makes the path to citizenship harder to achieve.


(KA)