MIAMI BEACH — Hoping to revive the stalled debate over immigration reform, the leading House Democrat said Monday that his party soon would introduce legislation that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to move toward U.S. citizenship.
In a speech here to the National Council of La Raza, a leading Latino group, House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) said that under the Democratic plan, undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least five years and who have worked for at least two years could become legal residents if they pass a background check by the FBI and law enforcement.
"These proposals reward hard work with fair play, and help us in our fight against terrorism," Gephardt said.
Although details remain to be determined, Gephardt said, the plan would include a new program to import temporary workers from countries such as Mexico--a top business priority.
The notion of combining a temporary worker program with an "earned legalization" follows the model that President Bush floated last year in talks with Mexico. But amid intense resistance to any form of legalization from many congressional Republican conservatives, Bush began to back away from the idea late last summer.
In September, Mexican President Vicente Fox appeared to give immigration reform new life when he visited Washington and pressed Bush to finalize a plan by the end of 2001. But only a few days later, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks put the issue on hold.
Gephardt's announcement marks the first major effort to revive the process. The idea still faces intense resistance from those who consider any path toward legalization for illegal immigrants a form of amnesty that rewards lawbreaking. And the attacks gave opponents a powerful new argument in their case, raising security concerns about legalizing foreigners who illegally entered the country.
In an interview Monday, Gephardt argued that legalization would enhance U.S. security by providing officials a clearer picture of the illegal immigrant population. "This is a way to bring people into a legal process and give us more sense of who is here and who is willing to play by the rules and who isn't," he said.
Negative reaction to the plan was swift. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies--a group that supports reduced immigration--called it an "astonishingly bad idea. It mocks the rule of law. It rewards lawbreakers. It will encourage more illegal immigration."
