Vote now on immigration.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The U.S. Senate has reached the tipping point on immigration reform. Lawmakers should approve the comprehensive overhaul that's been painstakingly crafted before it is further weakened by politically motivated amendments.

A bipartisan coalition led by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., has managed to preserve the essential balance between provisions that would offer a path toward legalization for millions and establish a guest worker program, and provisions that would tighten border security and enforcement. But they've done so only by agreeing to a series of odious amendments intended to appease hard-liners who believe immigration reform should focus exclusively on enforcement.

Two of these hold-your-nose provisions include proposals to make English the national language and to deploy 6,000 of this nation's already overextended National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border.

For the most part, these add-ons are heavy on symbolism and light on substance. The English-only proposal is a prime example. The amendment states that English is the pre-eminent language spoken in America - a reality not in need of congressional affirmation. It also states that the federal government should "preserve and enhance" the primacy of English and that no one has a "right, entitlement or claim" to demand government services be provided in other languages.

Such verbiage may make hard-liners in Congress stand up and salute, but it won't have much impact. States and local governments would remain free to issue documents or advisories in any language that they choose. If a community with a large population of of newly arrived Mexican immigrants felt that issuing tornado warnings in both Spanish and English would be the most effective way to save lives, it would be free to do so.

There is no need to declare English the national language, a move that has more than a whiff of xenophobia and seems based on the preposterous notion that English isn't already a dominant world language. Most immigrants are already well aware they must learn English in order to progress in this country. There's no need for Congress to legislate what's already obvious.

Another dubious amendment incorporates President Bush's decision to deploy National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border for a year until thousands of new border agents can be hired and trained. Sending Guard troops to the border, even in limited numbers and only in a support capacity, would further overextend a force that already has been severely taxed by extensive deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq.

So far, none of the amendments is so atrocious that it's worth killing the overall immigration bill. While the bill has numerous flaws, including a convoluted plan to split immigrants into three groups and treat each one differently, its most critical elements remain intact. The proposal would tighten the border, provide a way for working immigrants to come and go legally, and allow those who willing to integrate and aspire to citizenship an opportunity to achieve that worthy dream.

Senate Majority leader Bill Frist set the stage for closing off debate and a final vote on the bill, which could come as early as today. While the bill appears ensured of passage in the Senate, a fight looms as the House and Senate meet to negotiate a compromise bill.

Those meetings could easily prove fatal to the reform effort. Last December the House passed an enforcement-only immigration bill that is punitive and reactionary. President Bush, who favors the Senate's comprehensive approach, must fully engage with lawmakers. He must let Republican leaders in the House know he's serious about comprehensive reform - so serious he'll veto any compromise that tampers with the essential elements of a vastly superior Senate approach.