Critics united against immigration bill

Senate deliberations which began Monday on an immigration reform bill have brought together an unexpected group of allies in opposition to the legislation's provisions.

Criticism of the proposal, which would grant nearly 12 million illegal immigrants temporary security as legal residents, has come from all sides, bringing together groups that share nothing in common but opposition to this attempt at immigration reform.

In North Carolina, an estimated 390,000 illegal immigrants could be impacted by the legislation.

Monday, the Senate voted 69 to 23 to continue debate on the legislation. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who had set a Memorial Day deadline for the Senate to vote on the bill itself, also announced that deadline had been pushed back to early June.

When Senators Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., announced the bipartisan immigration reform agreement last week, they lauded it as the country's best chance to fix the problem.

But as the full text of the bill was made available Saturday, opposition mounted on both sides of the aisle. The offices of elected officials have been flooded with phone calls voicing frustration with the bill's provisions.

"We have people all across the country who are fervently calling the Senate explaining that any elected official who supports this bill in any way will soon be out of office," said William Gheen, President of Americans for Legal Immigration, a Raleigh-based advocacy group.

As is, the bill contains provisions regarding those already in the country as well as plans for increasing the security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

An April 22 Zogby International poll found that 32 percent believe security of the Southern border presents the greatest threat to U.S. security.

Opposition has come from one side that believes the costs associated with achieving the resident status could deter many from pursuing that option.

"The question remains, how many of these individuals are even going to be able to apply for this visa?" Ben Balderas, executive director of El Centro Latino in Carrboro, said. "Simply because the program is available doesn't mean people are going to be able to take advantage of it."

Balderas said that the attempt at reform was "welcome news" but that he still had reservations as to what the final bill would end up looking like.

On the other side, Gheen said instead of creating new laws, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement should work on enforcing current laws.

"The problem is the government has zero enforcement credibility and we do not need new laws," he said. "You'd have to be smoking crack to believe they'd be enforcing anything at this time."

In Monday's vote, North Carolina's Senators were split on the issue as well.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole voted against the measure, while Sen. Richard Burr voted to continue discussion.

A comparative bill is not expected to reach the House for some time.

Contact the State and National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.

Stipulations of the bill

Illegal immigrants who entered the country before Jan. 1, 2007 would receive probationary legal status.
Illegal immigrants could pay a $5,000 fine and a $1,500 application fee to receive permanent legal residency.
Head of household must return to the home country and wait from eight to 13 years before re-entry.
The bill would add 370 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border and hire 18,000 new border patrol agents to strengthen border protection.
Up to 400,000 guest workers would be allowed to enter the country each year. They would receive two-year visas that would be renewable up to three times.