MIAMI HERALD February 2, 2007
Democrats urged to address immigration
Two of South Florida's Cuban-American members of Congress called on Democrats to push for a comprehensive immigration overhaul and for the Bush administration to grant temporary protected status to Haitians in a program that already benefits people from several Central American countries. ''We're concerned because the Democrats . . . have given no signs of giving any importance or priority to immigration,'' said U.S. Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, a Miami Republican. ``It's time for the Democratic leadership to put up or shut up.'' Díaz-Balart and his brother, U.S. Rep Mario Díaz-Balart, also were very critical of a recently announced Bush administration proposal to dramatically raise the fees for immigrants applying for citizenship or temporary work permits. Comprehensive immigration changes could alleviate the need to raise the rates by providing millions of dollars in new fines as undocumented immigrants from across the country go through the steps to legalize their status, the congressmen said.
'UNFAIR' INCREASE ''This hike is unfair,'' Lincoln Díaz-Balart said of the proposal announced a day earlier. ``I think it is appropriate to wait a year or more before hurting the working immigrants of this country and raising fees in this scandalous manner.'' At a news conference at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus, the two Republicans called on immigration advocates to renew pressure on lawmakers to pass legislation that would include a temporary guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. The congressmen also said they had sent a letter -- also signed by U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- to the Bush administration seeking to renew temporary protected status, or TPS, for Hondurans, Nicaraguans and Salvadorans, as well as asking for Haitians to be eligible for TPS. The humanitarian program allows undocumented nationals to remain in the United States legally because of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, or other crises in their homelands.
`UNLIVABLE SITUATION' Several immigration advocacy groups attended the event and echoed the congressmen's urgency for change and criticized the proposed fee increase as well. ''This is an unlivable situation, with the raids, the detentions and the deportations,'' said Jose Lagos, the head of Honduran Unity. ``This hurts our economy and it hurts our community, and we can't continue like this.'' A Senate proposal that would have legalized millions of undocumented immigrants stalled in Congress last year. Instead, the president signed into law a U.S. House proposal to build a fence along part of the U.S.-Mexico border. South Florida's three Republican members of Congress -- as well as the region's six House Democrats -- support the proposal for legalization. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not include immigration on her list of priorities for the first 100 hours of the new Congress, though advocates are hopeful that Democrats will take up legislation soon. The Senate has included an immigration overhaul among its priorities for 2007.
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