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Senate tilts toward immigrants

By wire services
Published March 28, 2006

WASHINGTON - Breaking dramatically from the House's get-tough prescription for illegal immigration, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday to place the nation's 11-million-plus illegal immigrants on a path to eventual citizenship.

Critics called the move an amnesty for lawbreakers. If approved by the full Senate, the measure would set both chambers on course for a collision when they meet to reconcile their differences.

In another sharp departure from the House, the senators refused to criminalize illegal immigrants as well as clergy and charitable groups who give them aid.

Outraged by those provisions in the bill passed by the House in December, hundreds of thousands of protesters have marched in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta and other cities in recent weeks.

Hundreds of clergy members massed outside the Capitol on Monday, many wearing handcuffs in protest.

"It's clear the backlash of the House bill has had a major effect," said Kevin Appleby, director of the U.S. Catholic Conference's Office of Migration and Refugee Policy. "It's a whole new ballgame."

Though the criminalization proposals have galvanized activists, the most controversial and complex issue facing Congress remains how to treat a huge illegal immigrant population. It is a group that cannot be easily deported - and whose work is described by supporters as essential to the U.S. economy.

On a 12-6 vote, the Senate committee approved a measure that would allow illegal immigrants to earn green cards, allowing them to remain legally - and eventually obtain citizenship - if they agree to spend six years as temporary workers; pay $2,000 in fines and all back taxes; undergo criminal background checks; and show proficiency in English and civics. Four Republicans joined eight Democrats in voting for the measure; all six no votes were from Republicans.

"What we are saying here is: We want to at least give you an opportunity to earn your right to become an American citizen," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who wrote the legalization with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

But Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., complained that the committee's action gives illegal immigrants a leg up over green card seekers who have followed the law, remaining in their own country - sometimes for a decade or more - while waiting for their paperwork to be processed. "It is not fair to those who have been playing by the rules," Kyl said.

The legalization plan was approved as part of a sweeping immigration bill that has three pillars - increased border security and work site enforcement; dealing with the illegal population already here; and creating temporary worker programs for workers who will come in the future.

"We all know that just building more fences and hiring more Border Patrol agents is not the solution," McCain said.

The House, however, contends that immigration enforcement must be beefed up at the border and in the country's interior before contemplating guest work plans or legalization.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House. Appearing Monday at a citizenship ceremony for 30 new Americans, President Bush renewed his call for a comprehensive immigration overhaul.

It remained unclear Monday night whether Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist would bring the Judiciary Committee's bill to the Senate floor this week - or substitute his own border-security-only package instead.

[Last modified March 28, 2006, 03:01:29]