HOUSE IMMIGRATION BILL MAY COME THIS WEEK

The Capitol Standard Politics reports that:

Reps. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) could this week present bipartisan immigration reform legislation that may include steps toward an eventual legalization of millions of undocumented immigrants. This would be the first immigration bill presented in the lower chamber during this congressional session. In the Senate, negotiations continue on a similar bipartisan bill which would be sponsored by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). Legislation was purportedly going to be presented last week, but the stumbling block involves what some Republicans consider would be a “blanket amnesty” for undocumented immigrants. Among the options Senate negotiators are considering is a proposal from last year’s immigration bill which would place immigrants in categories toward legalization depending on the number of years already residing in the United States. Those with less than two years, for instance, would not be eligible. For his part, President Bush returned from his weeklong trip to several Latin American countries urging Congress to pass immigration reform legislation. Bush supports a temporary guestworker program. While he has said it is “unrealistic” to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, he adds he is against “amnesty.”

KJ