Stalled Immigration Reform 'High Priority' for Bush

Tue Nov 9, 2004 10:55 PM ET

By Alistair Bell

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Revamping U.S. immigration laws to let more Mexicans work legally in the United States is a high priority, Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Tuesday, though Congress could still block the plan.

Immigration reform has been a source of Mexican frustration with the United States as it languished low on a U.S. government agenda dominated by Iraq, homeland security and this year's national elections.

"The president remains committed to comprehensive immigration reform as a high priority in his second term and he will work closely with our Congress to achieve this goal," Powell said at a ceremony before talks with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez.

President Bush proposed in January that millions of illegal aliens, mostly Mexicans, be allowed to gain legal status for an initial three-year period if they can prove they have jobs in the United States.

Many businesses applauded the idea, but it met stiff opposition in Congress before last week's U.S. elections and stayed on the shelf. Some lawmakers fear the proposal would make it more difficult to keep the border secure, a major concern since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

NEW CONGRESS

Powell warned that the new Congress, with an expanded Republican majority, might be just as lukewarm toward immigration reform when it gets down to work in January.

"At the same time we don't want to overpromise. What I told Secretary Derbez is that ... we will make an assessment with the new Congress of the pace with which we can proceed with the temporary workers' program," he told a news conference.

Republican lawmakers have traditionally been wary of loosening U.S. immigration laws, although some encourage Mexican immigration as a source of cheap labor, particularly in states where agriculture dominates.

In an interview with Mexico's Televisa network, Powell dashed hopes of a broad deal involving full legalization of millions of Mexican workers, a plan Mexico once described as the "whole enchilada."

"We are not using that expression anymore. We are taking little bites of the enchilada," Powell said.

Mexican President Vicente Fox is Bush's closest ally in Latin America despite disagreements over the Iraq war, and has long sought to improve the rights and legal protection of Mexican migrants who flock north in search of work.

Mexican political analysts say the country might be willing to cooperate more closely with the United States on security in exchange for a deal on immigration.

"There could be something on security at Mexican airports, like having U.S. agents at the pre-check-in stage, or increased intelligence cooperation," said political scientist Jorge Chabat.

Despite concerns that the 2,000-mile border with Mexico is a weak spot in U.S. security, there have been no verified cases of terrorists entering the United States there.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, accompanying Powell in Mexico, said the Bush immigration plan could help deter terror.

"A temporary worker program could contribute to enhanced security in the United States. We would have identified individuals and afforded them a status in the United States which assures us they are there to work and not to engage in terrorist activities," he said. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Catherine Bremer)

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