At the end of last week, senators announced their bipartisan compromise on immigration reform that combines border enforcement, a guest worker program, a path to legalization for illegal immigrants, tougher employer sanctions, and an education/skills-based point system for future immigrants. Rich Basas will comment on their proposal in the coming days.
<>Already, the policy proposal is having a divisive effect on Republican presidential hopefuls, as the UK's Guardian reports. While John McCain has come out in support of the Senate proposal – as he was heavily involved in shaping the compromise – the article quotes potential rivals Rudy Guiliani and Mitt Romney criticizing the bill as “inadequate hodgepodge” and an “amnesty for illegals.” The division among presidential candidates is symbolic for the deep split the proposal cuts through the entir Republican party. Nevertheless, the Republicans are already hard at work to toughen the compromise further.
<>Meanwhile, Democratic candidates have been vocal in their criticism: Sen. Barak Obama has denounced the points system for evaluating future immigrants as giving “too little weight to family ties,” ABC news reports.
<>The New York Times’ Julia Preston and Randal Archibold sat down with illegal migrants to get their perspective on the bill's provisions. Many said that living in US was worth overcoming the difficult legal hurdles. Advocacy groups, however, are quick to point out that the family reunification provisions represent a radical departure from US traditions: "This is an unprecedented shift from family unity being the cornerstone of our immigration policy," said Isabel Garcia, a lawyer and a chairwoman of Derechos Humanos, an advocacy group here. Ms. Garcia also objected to what she called "insurmountable" obstacles in the bill.
Other commentators have plenty to say:
Navarrette: Immigration anxiety is cultural
Dobbs: New immigration plans ignores history's
Washington Post Editorial: The storm over immigration
See also: Mexico Blog by Rohini Gupta – Bush strikes deal over immigration bill
