WASHINGTON – Immigrant advocates were pleased last week when the Congressional Hispanic Caucus unveiled an ambitious reform plan that would, among other things, create a pathway to citizenship for 12 million undocumented immigrants.
It was an effort to get the issue off the back burner, a warning that impatience with the president is brewing, and a gambit to define the liberal wish list. On those fronts, the bill proposed by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and others, was a success.
But it has no hope of going anywhere.
House Democratic leaders aren't interested in taking up the divisive issue in an election year – not without cover from the Senate and White House.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quietly assured freshman Democrats and other vulnerable lawmakers that she won't allow a floor debate on immigration unless the Senate acts first. Backbenchers are frustrated at being forced to cast politically delicate votes on issues like cap-and-trade, only to see the bills stall in the Senate.
"That's where the immigration reform debate broke down last time, and that's where it should begin," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland who, as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is acutely aware of the need to minimize losses in next November's midterm elections. "If they have the ability to deal with what we've already given them, and immigration reform, we stand ready to work with them."
For Hispanic leaders in the House, the urgency to act trumps political considerations – though their ability to force the issue may be limited.
"We have a plan that has the potential of truly helping to better this country and its people," said Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, dean of the Texas delegation and a key sponsor of the bill.
The 644-page Gutierrez bill would let undocumented immigrants gain legal status if they register, pay a $500 fine (far less than prior bills required), learn English and pass a criminal background check.
There would be more border security and a worker verification program, too, though – unlike proposals of yesteryear – immigrants wouldn't have to return to their home countries to become eligible for U.S. citizenship.
There is no guest worker program, either – an omission that amounts to a deal killer for business interests and many Republicans.
Rep. Lamar Smith of San Antonio, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, derided it as an "amnesty bill" and predicted it would go nowhere even if House leaders were more eager to tackle the issue.
That leaves matters in the hands of the Senate, which has struggled for years to forge consensus on immigration. The last big push failed in 2007.
The White House has been mum about the Gutierrez bill. Obama promised to make immigration reform a top priority his first year, but he hasn't. Now, he's apparently awaiting a more enforcement-oriented bill under development by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has delayed release of that proposal for months, pending the health care debate.
Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano predicted at the liberal Center for American Progress that Congress would begin looking at immigration in early 2010. It wasn't the most forceful call to arms, though it was a signal that the White House plans to engage, eventually.
On Wednesday, at the same think tank, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke continued the drumbeat, though they emphasized that the White House will take its cue from the Senate rather than try to lead.
"Much will be driven... by what occurs in the Senate," Solis said. "Also as we move along, we'll want to hear from all stakeholders," such as unions and businesses.
That's code for something other than "priority rush."
"The health care debate is first and foremost," Solis said. After that, "we can begin the conversations about comprehensive immigration reform."
Todd J. Gillman is Washington Bureau chief of The Dallas Morning News.
Source:dallasnews.com/
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