Hispanic Caucus Aims To Shift Focus To Immigration : NPR: ...Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, vowing to put the issue front and center, have come up with their own proposal for what they call comprehensive immigration reform.
'Just because we have been patient doesn't mean we could wait forever,' Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) said at a recent news conference while surrounded by Latino children wearing T-shirts that read 'future voter.'
He and the caucus introduced a bill that would put undocumented workers on a path to citizenship — if they pay a $500 fine, learn English and undergo a criminal background check. The bill would also provide more training for border guards and seek better conditions at immigration detention centers.
But after a conservative backlash sent the last major immigration overhaul effort down in flames in 2007, Gutierrez says, he knows what he's up against.
'Opponents of immigration reform will use it as a wedge issue and will blame everything from unemployment to rising health care costs on immigrants,' he says. 'Of course, why stop at jobs and health care? Global warming? Rough stock market? Bad traffic? Lousy weather? Too many immigrants!'
