IMMIGRATION DEAL CRUMBLES IN SENATE GOP VOWS TO RAISE ISSUE AFTER BREAK.Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Senators ran for their home state borders Friday after a highly touted compromise on illegal immigration disintegrated amid partisan bickering bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. and finger-pointing. While Republican leaders vowed to revisit the issue when they return April 26 from a two-week Easter break, the impasse frustrated politicians and activists who had hoped to see Congress act quickly to legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le a majority of the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. And many on the national scene said they fear time and momentum for addressing illegal immigration is slipping away. "This has to be acted on in the next couple of months or it's just going to become an election-year game," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, who opposes guest-worker programs and supports a House bill that makes being undocumented in the U.S. a felony. "If this deal is falling apart, then I'm skeptical" of Congress ever passing an immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. bill, said Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, who has championed a guest-worker program to allow green cards for about 1.5 million illegal agriculture workers. "People have gotten more scared of the politics of finding a solution than they are of the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. ," Berman said. But in Southern California, illegal immigrants and their supporters, as well as those enraged en·rage tr.v. en·raged, en·rag·ing, en·rag·es To put into a rage; infuriate. [Middle English *enragen, from Old French enrager : en-, causative pref. by the presence of undocumented immigrants, said they aren't overly concerned about the deadlock. "On something like this, I would like to see a vote, but a well-thought-out vote. I don't want them to vote just to get it out of the way," said Alberto Gutierrez, an economics and government teacher at San Fernando High School San Fernando High School, located in San Fernando, California, is a secondary school that is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school colors are black and gold. All girl teams are referred to as Lady Tigers, all boy teams simply as Tigers. . "I think they were trying to shove too much down the throats of everybody to get it done in a week," said Jerry Griffin, a retired Verizon engineer from Long Beach. Gutierrez said he still remembers memorizing his cousin's date of birth and hometown when, at age 3, he used the other boy's birth certificate to illegally enter the U.S. from Mexico with his parents. The entire family was naturalized nat·u·ral·ize v. nat·u·ral·ized, nat·u·ral·iz·ing, nat·u·ral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To grant full citizenship to (one of foreign birth). 2. To adopt (something foreign) into general use. after the 1986 amnesty program, and later became citizens. Griffin said he has watched illegal immigrants destroy California's school system and thinks the government needs to fully secure the border. A small percentage of illegal immigrants should be made eligible for naturalization naturalization, official act by which a person is made a national of a country other than his or her native one. In some countries naturalized persons do not necessarily become citizens but may merely acquire a new nationality. , perhaps those who have been in the U.S. more than 20 years, Griffin said, and the rest deported. While their views on illegal immigration diverge, the two shared anxiety that politicians will botch the solution. With weekly protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere, and more expected next week, Congress has been under intense pressure to find a middle ground between those who want to legalize undocumented immigrants and those who want to deport de·port tr.v. de·port·ed, de·port·ing, de·ports 1. To expel from a country. See Synonyms at banish. 2. To behave or conduct (oneself) in a given manner; comport. them. The latest compromise by Sens. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., would have created a three-tier system allowing illegal immigrants who had been in the U.S. at least five years to obtain a green card, and eventually citizenship, without first leaving the country. Those here between two years and four years would have had to leave the U.S. and apply for legal entry, while those here fewer than two years would be denied legalization LEGALIZATION. The act of making lawful. 2. By legalization, is also understood the act by which a judge or competent officer authenticates a record, or other matter, in order that the same may be lawfully read in evidence. Vide Authentication. . Thursday afternoon, senators jubilantly declared a breakthrough on the measure but hours later it broke down when Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada rejected GOP attempts to add a number of amendments to the bill. Democrats said the amendments would have undermined the very compromise they worked to achieve. They tried to close debate and force a vote on the Martinez-Hagel compromise, but lost 38-60. Republicans, who accused Democrats of scuttling Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull. This can be achieved in several ways - valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives. the bill for political purposes, tried to force a vote on a measure by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist that would have dealt only with border control. That failed 36-62. Immigration advocates, many of them liberal allies, spread the blame for inaction to both parties, but specifically assailed Democrats for not trying harder to make a bill happen. "While we're swimming in a political world marked by paralysis and partisanship we want a result," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum The National Immigration Forum (also called "The Forum") is an immigrant rights organization based in Washington, DC that publishes studies, lobbies congress members, and networks local organizations with the goal of increasing public support for immigration to the United . "The Democrats have to be challenged," he said. "Do they want a bill, or do they want an issue? We don't want to be a political football." lisa.friedman@langnews.com (202) 662-8731 |
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