Immigration debate heats up

Thousands of Americans have protested against stricter border controls. Picture / Reuters

WASHINGTON - George W. Bush's push to create a guest worker programme to grant illegal immigrants amnesty won Senate approval against a backdrop of noisy and emotional marches in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's approval is to be put to the full Senate later this week, setting up a politically bruising battle with the House of Representatives, where the Republican majority is against legal incentives for illegal immigrants.

The committee's action came as Bush warned against fearmongering on the divisive issue.

"No one should pretend that immigrants are a threat to American identity, because immigrants have shaped America's identity," he said.

Provisions of the measure that would allow some of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants a chance to legalise their status and earn citizenship will set the stage for a bruising election-year battle.

Senate backers said it is not an amnesty. "A path to earned citizenship is what this bill is about," said Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who joined Massachusetts Democrat Senator Edward Kennedy in offering the measure.

Kennedy said the proposals were "an 11-year journey" to earn citizenship and candidates would have to pay a fine, undergo criminal background checks, learn to speak English and pay their taxes.

In several cities, hundreds of protesters demanded immigrants be allowed to stay in America.

Protesters also demanded the review of a tough security bill that called for constructing a fence along the US-Mexico border and making illegal immigration a criminal offence.

The protests come days after more than 500,000 marched against the law in Los Angeles.


What now for the huddled masses

* What the President says:
George W. Bush's proposal for a temporary worker programme has put him at odds with many in his own Republican Party. Bush insists it is a legal way to fill the jobs that Americans are unwilling to do, a position supported by business. Labour groups say a programme that does not provide permanent work will create an underclass of workers.

* The Senate bill:
The Senate Judiciary Committee is pushing to craft a bill that would tighten border security and require employers to verify the status of workers.

* Down on the border:
The House of Representatives passed legislation in December focusing on border security and enforcement. It makes undocumented presence in the country a crime and calls for a fence on parts of the US-Mexico border. It also would require employers to check the status of employees. It includes no temporary scheme favoured by Bush.

* Uncertain outlook:
A guest worker scheme could face opposition. At least 70 House Republicans say they will oppose any "amnesty".

- REUTERS