Breaking up immigration reform
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SCOTT JAGOW: President Bush will be in Yuma, Arizona this morning. He’s making another pitch to Congress for comprehensive immigration reform. John Dimsdale tells us what that means.
JOHN DIMSDALE By comprehensive reform, the President means stronger border enforcement, a verification system for employers and a guest worker program for current illegal immigrants.
But a group of nearly a hundred House members say they’ll reject any bill that includes amnesty for the estimated 12 million people who’ve entered the U.S. illegally.
Kurt Bardella is the spokesman for the House Immigration Reform Caucus.
KURT BARDELLA: It’s a slap in the face to the millions of people around the world who are going through the process, who are waiting their turn, who respect the rule of law principles our country was founded upon. They’re trying to abide by a process and the message that this administration is sending is ‘if you break our laws, you will be rewarded.’
The Caucus wants Congress to split up the immigration issues and pass those on which there is consensus — especially an employer verification system.
With election politics already heating up, advocates of comprehensive reform realize their window of opportunity this year is short.
In Washington, I’m John Dimsdale for Marketplace.
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