Latino activists decry bill for border security

With the Republican-controlled House poised to pass a tough new border security measure, Latino activists in Santa Barbara said Wednesday that the bill goes too far.

Legislation that would make it a federal crime to live in the United States illegally, turning millions of immigrants into felons, is "another oppressive part of this whole systemic, national, 'let's-be-afraid' agenda," said Rita Salinas, a former co-director of La Casa de la Raza community center.

"Inevitably, it will bring on anti-immigrant fever," she said. "It's dangerous for me and my people. This is definitely not the way to solve the immigrant problem when this country is crying out for cheap labor. It's another of the many sounds that should alarm us about the degradation of our society."

Up for a vote, possibly today, the bill introduced by Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wisc., finds support among conservatives and groups such as the Santa Barbara-based Californians for Population Stabilization. It would expand immigrant-smuggling prohibitions and specify prison terms for those who knowingly transport, harbor or shield illegal immigrants, including social service agencies and church groups.

Californians for Population Stabilization supports the bill because it could reduce the number of noncitizen gang members and "weed illegal immigrants out of the work force," according to its Web site.

"It's the best bill we've had so far," Diana Hull, president of the group, said Wednesday.

"The best part about the bill is that, first of all, there is going to be an employer verification system. We don't want illegal immigrants in the work force."

The legislation would require mandatory detention of non-Mexican illegal immigrants facing deportation; increase funding for border-state law enforcement agencies; allow sheriff's personnel to detain illegal immigrants; and toughen penalties for employers who hire them.

Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, whose district includes a portion of Santa Barbara County, has joined conservatives who back the measure as a key tool to tighten the border and discourage illegal migrants from entering the country from Mexico.

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, has opposed the proposal.

"This bill is not the answer to the problem of illegal immigration," she said in a statement. "Its punitive enforcement provisions will hurt refugees and asylum seekers and undermine our economy. And a bill only addressing enforcement will fail because it is an incomplete solution to our immigration challenges.

"An effective and humane guest worker program, like the AgJobs bill I support, is the most needed change in immigration law for the Central Coast."

The House Rules Committee was debating the language of the bill Wednesday night.

Among the issues under discussion was language that expresses congressional support for a guest worker program, something the White House and some Senate Republicans support. That language was added Wednesday by Mr. Sensenbrenner.

Opposition among some business leaders, and the potential for uncertainty in the Senate, has led some observers to predict that a toned-down compromise is likely to emerge early next year. Mr. Bush would grant temporary legal status to the 11 million illegal immigrants believed to be living in the United States.

Ms. Hull said Californians for Population Stabilization opposes a guest worker plan.

"If your goal is to stop illegal immigration, it doesn't work," she said, adding that such a program would depress wages.

She supported proposed amendments to the new bill, including one that would deny so-called birthright citizenship to babies born on U.S. soil to noncitizens.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has opposed the new bill.

"The bill mandates that all employers of all sizes comply with a new government-run electronic-telephonic verification system to ensure that all employees are authorized to work," R. Bruce Josten, chamber vice president for government affairs, recently wrote to Congress. "The concept is based on past, very limited pilot projects, and it is doubtful whether a new mandate of this breadth, applicable to over 7 million employers and over 140 million employees, can realistically be implemented.

"Furthermore, the bill would now transform into a felony with jail terms what until now has been a civil violation for unauthorized presence in the United States subject to fines and deportation," Mr. Josten wrote. "This provision is directly inconsistent with the president's proposal, which recognizes the economic contributions of these workers, and that there should be a pathway for these workers to earn legal status."

Annette Cordero, a Santa Barbara member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, suggested the new bill is inhumane.

"It's unfortunate that we tend to constantly be taking actions against the individuals who are coming because of severe difficulties in their native countries, and are the poor working people who are just trying to make a better life for themselves," she said.

"We've got to restore humanity to some of our immigration policies."

At La Casa de la Raza, the Eastside center on Montecito Street, Executive Director Raquel Lopez said the proposed provisions fly in the face of the organization's mission. The nonprofit offers a variety of support services and cultural programs.

"It's a time again in our history when immigrants are the hot issue," she said.

"La Casa has been here for 35 years to allow for representation and a voice for the Latino community.

Ms. Lopez defiantly said the organization would never ask clients or affiliates for proof of sanctioned residency or citizenship.

"That is something we will never do, bottom line," she said. "It goes against every reason why we were created."

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