Specter puts borders first

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The security of the border should be the No. 1 priority for an immigration bill, Sen. Arlen Specter said yesterday, and he's open to a compromise that sets goals for border and interior enforcement ahead of a guest-worker program and path to citizenship for illegal aliens.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said that in order for Congress to produce an immigration bill this year, President Bush must lobby personally on specific details in the bill -- something he has not done.

"The president's got to be there. He's got to get involved, in my opinion, in the negotiations. Now, he has not yet been willing to do that," the Pennsylvania Republican told editors and reporters at The Washington Times.

He said Mr. Bush has participated only at the level of "generalization" and is going to have to do far more to convince lawmakers "that the border's going to be secure, that employer verification's going to happen. That's the crunch time."

Mr. Specter would be chairman of the conference when the House and Senate meet to hammer out the differences between their bills.

The House focused on building 700 miles of fence on the U.S.-Mexico border, boosting enforcement and requiring employers to verify that their workers are here legally. The Senate bill boosts enforcement but focuses on creating a program for future immigrant workers and a path to citizenship for many current illegal aliens.

House Republican leaders announced last week that they will hold hearings across the country to examine the Senate bill, and Mr. Specter responded by proposing hearings of his own.

"Are we out of touch with the American people? We may be, on the basis of what the American people know today," he said, adding that the broken borders and poor interior enforcement get most of the attention. But he said he's having hearings, beginning July 5 in Pennsylvania, to look at the need for a guest-worker program and to examine how to deal with current illegal aliens.

Mr. Specter said that although the Senate would insist on a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for many illegal aliens in the final compromise bill, he is open to legislation that would make those proposals contingent on having a secure border and improved interior enforcement.

"It may be down the line that we will come to some terms on a timetable, with border security first and employment verification first," he said.