Rather than proceed directly with a conference committee to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate immigration bills, House Republicans have opted to hold a two-month series of hearings that are intended to whip up their conservative base and focus attacks on the Senate approach.

The Senate Bill would provide an estimated 11 million undocumented aliens in the US with some legal pathway to citizenship which would take 11 years. The House Bill is about enforcement only - building a 'Berlin'- type wall along the border with Mexico, and rounding up as many undocumented aliens as possible and deporting them.  In the process, they would  make it a felony (jail time) to be in the US out of status - i.e., without a valid visa. Thus, possibly, making the undocumented alien illegible from re-entry to the US for life as a convicted felon.

In order to become law both the House and the Senate are required to come up with an agreed compromise bill that both sides can live with and vote for. Unfortunately, it seems that the two sides are no nearer to agreement.

President Bush has vowed to keep working for immigration reform and is still looking to sign a compromise Bill into law before the November mid-term elections.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said recently: "The idea of deporting 11 or 12 million people is pure fantasy. If we attempted it, it would be perhaps the largest roundup and deportation in world history".

Pennsylvania State Rep. Arthur Hershey said:  "Without immigrant workers, we would not have a labor force. It is that simple."

Reuters News Agency comments that the practical effect of the competing hearings may be to kill any chance of passing a bill before the election and deprive Bush of success on one of his major agenda items.

Bush says: "We cannot kick people out who have been here for a while, and so I look forward to working with Congress on a rational plan as to how to make sure people who have been here, the 11 million or so people who have been here for a while, are treated with respect and dignity."

The problem remains that with so many House Republicans vehemently against giving any quarter to undocumented aliens, especially to the Latin American countries south of the US border, it is difficult to see how this issue can be resolved any time soon. 

LA Times reports this week that "In an election year, Congress typically avoids final action on contentious issues as the November vote nears, but House leaders insist an agreement on an immigration bill remains possible this fall". 

Republican Senate Leader Tom Frist says "After the House finishes its hearings, we will begin the vital work of crafting a final bill."

By the way, the irony is that the bulk of the undocumented persons in the US today arrive not by the southern border but by plane from over 100 countries around the world. Most of these arrivals come with short-term tourist visas or visa waivers but simply fail to return to their home country at the end of their stay. So what does it say about the border security argument with  all  the media focused on just the southern border?

[Compiled by Chris Ingram, ESQ. Sourced from various publications]

ECI