WASHINGTON — Embracing a top priority of Latino and union activists, Democratic presidential contender Joe Lieberman on Wednesday offered a plan that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to earn American citizenship.
The Connecticut senator joined his party's other leading presidential contenders in urging an overhaul of immigration laws to legitimize the flow of workers from Mexico and provide a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 3.5 million illegal immigrants already living in the United States.
Lieberman issued his proposal on the eve of a Democratic presidential debate tonight in Albuquerque, which is expected to focus on the concerns of Latino families. His plan follows similar declarations from the other top Democratic presidential contenders and the introduction of a conceptually similar immigration-reform proposal from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Reps. Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, also Republicans from Arizona.
Under Lieberman's plan, illegal immigrants who have been in the country for at least five years, paid taxes and passed a security check would be eligible for citizenship.
The plan would also allow employers to import temporary "guest workers" in areas of the country with "demonstrated labor shortages for unskilled and semi-skilled workers," according to a campaign statement.
To help make such a program more palatable to union and immigrant groups, which have traditionally opposed such ideas, Lieberman says he would allow such guest workers to join unions and also to earn citizenship after a period of probably around five years.
Lieberman's plan tracks the "grand compromise" some business, labor, Latino and religious groups have been advocating since 2001: trading "earned legalization" for illegal immigrants already here -- a top priority for labor and immigrant groups -- for the guest worker program, a key business concern.
With varying degrees of specificity, Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and John Edwards (D-N.C.), Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean have all endorsed such a deal as well.
Immigration advocates say this flurry of activity suggests that the legalization cause, which has been derailed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, may be stirring again.
"The bottom line is the immigration reform debate is back," says Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza, a leading Latino group.
