Friday, December 16, 2005

House moves ahead on border bill that Kolbe slams

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - House Republicans yesterday began debate on legislation intended to shut down illegal immigration and require employers to verify the legal status of their workers.

After GOP leaders appealed for party unity, the Republican-controlled House voted 220-206 to approve a parliamentary measure needed to move ahead on the bill.

The measure was expected to be completed today at the earliest.

Late yesterday, the House was working its way through amendments, including one that would require construction of fencing along parts of the U.S. border with Mexico.

On a voice vote, House members approved an amendment requiring Border Patrol uniforms to be made in the United States

Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., said they are now made in Mexico, possibly posing security problems.

One of the most contentious provisions that could be considered today would deny citizenship to children born in the United States to illegal immigrants.

Supporters defended their approach of acting to cut off the flow of illegal entrants before turning to the tougher issues of a guest worker program or other means to fill the jobs that now attract millions of undocumented workers.

"Until the borders are protected we cannot have any kind of meaningful immigration reform," said GOP Rep. Peter King of New York, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Almost all Democrats, and several border-state Republicans such as Rep. Jeff Flake and fellow Arizonan Jim Kolbe, pushed for a more comprehensive measure that would deal with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

The GOP bill "does nothing to solve the real problems of illegal immigration," Kolbe said. "In fact, it's worse than nothing."

The White House said in a statement that it strongly supported the House bill, while adding that it "remains committed to comprehensive immigration reform, including a temporary worker program that avoids amnesty."