WASHINGTON — When Republican House leaders announced a new round of nationwide immigration hearings last week, it triggered a wave of eye-rolling among Democrats and immigrant advocates.
Critics see the hearings, which began almost a month ago, as GOP-produced political theater -- a diversion from hunkering down for talks with the Senate on rewriting immigration policy.
The sessions have featured some posturing, snarky exchanges and odd scenes, such as Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) assembling a self-made wooden model of the 13.5-foot-high concrete wall he would like to see built along the U.S.-Mexico border.
But if this is theater, it has a clear plot line.
House Republicans continue to bet that their push for enforcement-only legislation is more appealing to voters than the Senate formula, which would combine bolstered border security with a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for most illegal immigrants in the U.S.
Reflecting that belief, the upcoming House hearings are scheduled not only in states struggling with illegal immigration, such as California, but in states such as Indiana, where several Republican House members are struggling to get reelected.
And if this is theater, it is collaborative. House Democrats have often emphasized their belief that the hearings are a stalling device. At a hearing this month on making English the official U.S. language, Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey (D-Petaluma) told a witness: "This is silly, what we are doing today."
The Democrats' frustration reflects a growing consensus on Capitol Hill that it is increasingly unlikely Congress will send President Bush an immigration bill before the November elections. As the vote approaches, the appetite among lawmakers for tackling a controversial topic seems to diminish.
Under this scenario, the two chambers could grapple with producing a compromise immigration bill in a lame-duck session at the end of the year, when the political stakes that have surrounded the issue may have lessened.
The new round of hearings is to begin this week and continue through August, with 21 sessions in 13 states, including two in San Diego and one in Santee.
They will examine issues such as illegal immigration's impact on military bases and how the Senate bill would affect local law enforcement.
Few are named with the zing of recent House hearing titles -- including "Whether Attempted Implementation of the Senate Immigration Bill Will Result in an Administrative and National Security Nightmare."
