PALM BEACH POST

July 17, 2004

GOP blasted for blocking reforms for

immigrants
By Christine Stapleton, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

As President Bush vowed Friday to crack down on human trafficking, leaders of

organizations representing enslaved workers blasted Bush and Republican leaders

for "pulling out all the stops" to block a landmark bill that would help immigrant farm

workers establish legal status.

"He (Bush) did nothing to help us get a vote on the historic AgJobs bill," Arturo Rodriguez,

president of the United Farm Workers, said at a news conference.
 

With AgJobs on the Senate floor on July 7, he said, "Republicans could have done

more than just say the right thing. It was the first time they could have matched their

rhetoric with action."

The news conference united leaders of the largest Hispanic and immigrant organizations

in the country. They said the president would not win the votes of immigrants --

especially Latinos -- unless AgJobs passes.

"If the Bush campaign wants to win Latino votes, I suggest they save millions in advertising

and focus on fixing our broken immigration laws," said Eliseo Medina, vice president

of the Service Employees International Union, which has helped register more than

20,000 voters in Florida. "When it comes to the election, immigrants are going to

take to heart the saying (that) actions speak louder than words."

The advocates were particularly angry about the July 7 failed attempt by Sen. Larry Craig,

R-Idaho, to attach the AgJobs bill onto a legal reform bill that had bipartisan support.

Craig, one of the sponsors of AgJobs, said the White House had urged him not to

offer AgJobs as an amendment. But Craig, committed to a bill that enjoys support

from the agricultural industry and labor advocates, did so anyway.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., blocked the amendment. A testy exchange

ended with neither bill being passed. The status of AgJobs is uncertain, but with

about a month left in the current session, there is little hope it will pass.

And six months after Bush's public promise to make immigration laws "more rational

and more humane," no legislation has been proposed by the White House.

"Latino voters are not easily fooled," said Maria Echaveste, lobbyist for the UFW

and the daughter of migrant farm workers. "They know and will be able to decide

which party is actually supportive of their dreams and desires."