-Immigration worries US public

By: Irshad Salim

NEW JERSEY, APRIL 9 - With the fate of an estimated 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants still uncertain if Congress doesn't act this year, advocates say there could be political risks for both parties as lawmakers left Washington for two weeks Friday, saying election-year politics, not a disagreement over what to do about illegal immigration  led to a stalemate blocking a vote in the Senate on reform. The Senate's dealmakers —John McCain, Ted Kennedy, Chuck Hagel, Mel Martinez, Barack Obama and others — said they will continue their weekly meetings in search of a compromise.

Last Wednesday, some heavyweight Hispanic and Latino Coalition leaders blamed senators and congressmen on both sides of the aisle for making it a hot political potato. Hispanic Business Roundtable President Honorio Padron of Chicago said, "the extremists on both sides of the aisle have made a tactical decision to make sure that no solution is reached in order to keep the issue alive for political campaigns, at the expense of our national and economic security." --Mexican workers in the United States sent home a record $20 billion to relatives and friends in 2005.

The immigration issue is important not only for the Bush administration and Republican Party -- particularly as November's midterm congressional elections draw nearer, but for Democrats too. Immigrants are traditionally their vote bank.

According to Time magazine quoting disappointed members of both parties, "it was Reid's election-year ambitions that ultimately doomed the immigration bill. The Democrats have a legitimate chance to take back control of the Senate in November, and for a life-long politician like Reid, few things are more important than the opportunity to lead the world's greatest deliberative body". A victory for Bill Frist on an issue as nationally charged as immigration would not help the Democrats come election day. "It's not gone forward because there's a political advantage for the Democrats not to have an immigration bill," said Arlen Specter, who is Senate Judiciary Committee chairman.

Meanwhile, massive marches and protests in favor of broad immigration reform has been planned Monday in Phoenix and other cities across the country, as Democrats try to paint Republicans as the obstacle in passing legislation, saying the GOP's demand for debate on amendments that could weaken the bill showed that President Bush and others couldn't overcome conservatives who don't want a new law. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a key backer of the deal, said Democrats hoped to use Monday's rallies to blame the GOP for blocking reform.

From other side of the aisle, senate majority leader Republican Bill Frist, has said  Democrats "decided to cripple" the compromise. Blame game continues.

A recent AP-Ipsos poll showed rising anxiety over the issue pushing immigration close to the economy in the public's view of the most important problems facing the United States. Its rise in the latest survey about the nation's top problems suggests the public is keeping close watch on the debate in congress and reaction around the country. When people were asked this past week to name the top national problem that came to mind, 13% said immigration - four times the number who said that in January.

The compromise (bi-partisan)  immigration plan which was agreed to Thursday but faltered Friday, would have had the votes of 60 to 70 senators, said  supporters in both parties. It would let about 7 million undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. at least five years get permanent legal status if they paid fines and back taxes, learned English, worked for the next six years and passed a background check.

An estimated 3 million people who came two to five years ago would be able to become temporary workers by going to a land border crossing and re-entering the country legally. That would give them six years of temporary legal status and a chance to apply to stay permanently.

One million to 2 million undocumented immigrants who came in the past two years would not be able to get legal status without leaving and applying from their home countries.

The bill also would set up a temporary-worker program to let approximately 400,000 foreigners come to the United States legally for jobs in the future, in addition to  significant increases in border-security measures.

Political analysts say either party could be able to capitalize on the stalemate eventually, but which side immigration helps in November's midterm elections will depend on how the situation plays out during the rest of the year.

"Let's see who walks away from this the maddest," said Jennifer Duffy, who tracks Senate campaigns for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report in Washington, D.C.

Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said they will take up the compromise plan April 27, a few days after Congress returns from its Easter recess.

If the committee approves it, debate in the full Senate could begin shortly afterward, though Senate leaders must agree on how to handle amendments.

"I'm disappointed but not discouraged," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., a co-sponsor with McCain of legislation on which much of the compromise was based. "I think that politics got in front of policy on this issue, and I think there's enough blame to go around."  Time called it a major understatement.

The immigration bill when passed will affect thousands of Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis working at restaurants, gas stations, pizza stores and for cab companies in the U.S.. The proposal will also have an adverse affect on thousands of Desi/Deshi students doing part time jobs to pay for their tuition. It may also give  rise to the official remittances figure in the South Asian countries.

There are 2.7 million South Asian Americans in the United States. Their median household income is over $60,000 (the national average is $38,885), more than half of them are college graduates, and they are web savvy.


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