WASHINGTON — Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) just got a wake-up call about the political risks of Congress' immigration debate. Having been hammered by constituents for his moderate stand on illegal immigration, Souder this month got 7,100 fewer votes in the GOP primary than in 2004, when he ran against the same challenger.
His experience helps explain why so many House Republicans adamantly oppose any compromise that would allow illegal immigrants to earn legal status. They have concluded it could be political suicide to give ground to the Senate immigration bill, expected to pass today, which would do just that.
"The mood is so angry, we can't hold the House with any bill" like that, Souder said. "The Senate bill would be worse than nothing."
But other Republicans fear a different political risk -- that the party would suffer if it came up empty-handed after the long, emotional debate on immigration that has spilled from Capitol Hill into the streets of major cities.
"At the end of the day, 'no deal' doesn't work," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.). "This will be a test for voters: Are Republicans capable of governing?"
House leaders have to navigate those crosscurrents as they prepare to iron out the vast differences between the House and Senate bills in conference committee.
It will be especially challenging because concern about illegal immigration is linked to broader economic anxiety that persists even in regions where the economy is running strong.
"In our state, as economically strong as any state of the union, there is an overwhelming feeling that this country no longer controls its own destiny," said Steve Bell, chief of staff to New Mexico's Republican Sen. Pete V. Domenici. "The war in Iraq. Other challenges from China and India for jobs. Another symbol of things being out of control is gas prices."
Minnesota Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht said, "We're 900 miles from the Mexican border, and it's still a hot topic."
He added, "One thing that's fueling economic angst is the influx of foreign labor."
Responding to a growing outcry over illegal immigration, the House late last year passed a bill that focused solely on tightening border security and cracking down on employers. The Senate bill, which President Bush supports, contains enforcement provisions as well, but it also would establish a program of temporary work visas and open a route to citizenship for most of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S.
