SACRAMENTO — Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has flung himself into the roiling debate over illegal immigration in recent weeks, he had virtually ignored the issue since being elected.
He made immigration a campaign theme in 2003 by promising to block driver's licenses for illegal immigrants -- which he did, in his first major official act -- and to secure more federal funds to deal with it.
But a review of Schwarzenegger's public speeches and statements shows he has been silent, with a few exceptions, on an issue that has raised alarm across the political spectrum. Lawmakers and immigrant groups say he has been absent behind the scenes as well.
"The governor has a lot of power, but he has been utterly unwilling to use it on this issue," said Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from Sherman Oaks. Sherman said the governor traveled to Washington "to be 'the Collectinator' but has done nothing."
Republicans echoed that observation, in milder tones, saying Schwarzenegger has been busy with his plans for overhauling state government.
After a congressional agreement on border protection, which includes fortification of California's border with Mexico near the San Diego coast and more stringent requirements for driver's licenses, all sides are hoping Schwarzenegger will weigh in further.
The pending federal legislation, dubbed the Real ID Act, would require every applicant for a driver's license to prove legal residency in the United States. People whose driver's licenses were not issued with proper documentation of legal status would be prohibited from boarding an airplane or doing anything else requiring federally recognized identification -- a major incentive for states such as California to continue barring illegal immigrants from getting licenses.
Minuteman Fan
Schwarzenegger has been alternately lauded and labeled a racist since he praised the work of the Minuteman Project, in which a group of armed citizens patrolled the border between Arizona and Mexico last month. His comments were encouraging to groups that oppose illegal immigration in California.
Previously, those groups said, Schwarzenegger had done little of substance to shut off state services to people in the country illegally. Nor had he brought significant attention to the issue of border security and the costs to taxpayers of illegal immigration, such as schooling, healthcare and imprisonment for crimes, they said.
