SAN ANTONIO NEWS-EXPRESS May 20, 2006 Senate's sausage-makers grind away on immigration
WASHINGTON — After a week in which conservatives won votes on fencing the border and making English the "national language," the Senate is heading toward a showdown on final passage of a sweeping immigration reform bill. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday that the Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week. In the meantime, lawmakers are cobbling the legislation together, piece-by-piece, with a series of amendments marked by debate that occasionally has challenged the chamber's tradition of civility. "Sometimes we maybe give sausage making a bad name," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Friday as debate continued. Conservatives opposed to the bill, like Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., concede supporters probably have enough votes to keep the legislation intact and approve the bill. But even proponents have problems with some parts of it. The Hispanic Caucus, which approves of a provision that would create a path to citizenship or legal residency for undocumented immigrants, expressed concerns to Frist about an amendment approved Thursday that would designate English as the "national language." The designation carries little legal weight, but many regard it as a legislative slap at the Latino community. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-N.V., condemned the amendment as "racist," and said, "I think it is directed at people who speak Spanish." Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, said that despite objections, a flawed bill is better than no bill at all. "The Hispanic Caucus and those who are pushing for a comprehensive immigration reform bill will not be in total agreement with what comes out of the Senate," Gonzalez said, following the meeting with Frist. "But proponents have to differentiate between bitter pills and poison pills," Gonzalez said. President Bush backs the English designation, said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "What the president has said all along is that he wants to make sure that people who become American citizens have a command of the English language," Snow said. Passage of the Senate bill would set up negotiations with the House of Representatives, which approved a restrictive enforcement-only bill that calls for deportation of undocumented immigrants in the country. House Republicans disagree with the Senate provision that would give undocumented immigrants earned legalization, and another setting up a guest-worker program. "Obviously, we're going to have to work hard to work out the differences between the House and the Senate. But first things first. The Senate's got to pass that bill," Bush said on the CBS "Early Show." A new CBS poll showed six of 10 Americans approve of the president's plan to beef up border security with the National Guard and technology. A similar number favor a guest worker program, as long as those workers return home. Meanwhile, proponents of the Senate bill expect opponents to continue to chip away at earned legalization and the temporary worker program. "We are going to be watchful of that," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president of the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic rights organization. Frank Sharry with the National Immigration Forum said "we are taking it a day at time." While there is momentum for immigration reform legislation, it must emerge from the Senate and survive a conference committee in an election year. "We've survived this week. We'll take it day by day," Sharry said. "We are far from the finish line."
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