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Immigration Showdown In Washington
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WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) -- The Senate takes up the hot-button issue of immigration Monday, after a weekend of rallies drew hundreds of thousands of people protesting attempts to toughen laws against illegal immigrants.
President Bush planned to use a naturalization ceremony for swearing in 30 new citizens Monday to press his call for a "guest worker" program. The Senate Judiciary Committee, meanwhile, faced a midnight deadline for completing a bill.
"We must remember there are hardworking individuals, doing the jobs that Americans will not do, who are contributing the economic vitality of our country," the president said in his weekend radio address.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, calls for tougher border security have dominated debate over the knotty problem of controlling immigration.
But a tough immigration-enforcement bill passed by the House last year has galvanized forces that want worker programs for illegal immigrants already in the country.
"We will not accept enforcement-only approaches," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group.
Immigration reform advocates scheduled a rally Monday at the U.S. Capitol, where dozens of members of the clergy planned to wear handcuffs to protest what they said is the House bill's criminalization of their aid programs for poor immigrants.
Demonstrations over the weekend were among the largest the nation has ever seen, CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante reports.
Half a million people in Los Angeles alone protesting changes by the House that would make illegal immigration a felony, and build more walls along the U.S./Mexico border.
Similar but smaller protests were held in Dallas, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Columbus, Ohio, among other cities.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, said Monday it would be unrealistic to round up and deport the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. Instead, he told CBS News The Early Show, the United States should create a "path toward legalization" based on whether the immigrants are lawabiding, pay takes, are learning English or demonstrate other "positive behavior."
He said the U.S. should work with Mexico on joint border patrols and "more enforcement on the border that is sadly lacking" now.
Later this week, President Bush is going to Mexico week for a meeting with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday it's important that Mexico "recognize the importance of defense of the borders and of American laws."
Senators up for re-election this year are being forced by the debate to juggle the demand from voters for tighter borders to keep out terrorists and businesses who look to the tide of immigrants to help fill jobs.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Sunday his panel will get a bill to the full Senate before Tuesday, even if it has to work "very, very late into the night."
"If they're prepared to work to become American citizens in the long line traditionally of immigrants who have helped make this country, we can have both a nation of laws and a welcoming nation of workers who do some very, very important jobs for our economy," Specter said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
Senate aides met into the evening Sunday in advance of the Judiciary Committee meeting to debate legislation, but there was no evidence of a breakthrough on the issue most in dispute. Lawmakers have been divided on whether illegal immigrants should be required to return to their home country before they become eligible for U.S. citizenship.
Whether or not the committee produces a bill, Majority Leader Bill Frist plans to open two weeks of Senate debate on the issue Tuesday. Frist, R-Tenn., has offered a measure that would punish employers who hire illegal immigrants and provide more visas. It sidesteps the issue of whether to let illegal immigrants already here stay.
Democrats have said they will do everything they can to block Frist's bill. Sen. Edward Kennedy said Sunday that legislation creating tougher enforcement does not do enough.
"We have spent $20 billion on chains and fences and border guards and dogs in the southern border over the last 10 years," Kennedy said on CBS' "Face the Nation". "And it doesn't work. What we need is a comprehensive approach. I think President Bush understands it."
A bill drafted by Kennedy and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would allow illegal immigrants to become eligible for permanent residency after working for six years. Both McCain and Frist are likely candidates for the Republican presidential nomination next year.
Another approach offered by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., would let illegal immigrants get temporary work permits for up to five years. They would have to leave the United States but could then apply for legal re-entry.
Cornyn said the McCain-Kennedy proposal "rewards illegal immigrants and will be considered an amnesty by Americans. It will encourage further disrespect for our laws, and will undercut our efforts to shore up homeland security."
Aides to Specter, Cornyn, Kyl, Kennedy and McCain spent much of the congressional recess last week trying to find a compromise that would stave off Frist's bill.
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Copyright 2006, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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