Advocates for illegal immigrants suggest a trade-off for legalization

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-immigration_27mar27,0,2225179.story

They press politically risky plan to Barack Obama, Congress

By Peter Wallsten | Washington Bureau
March 27, 2009

WASHINGTON — With their prospects in Congress sinking along with the economy, liberal advocates of giving undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship are launching a risky strategy to push lawmakers and the White House to take up their cause.

They propose that Congress legalize millions of undocumented workers now in exchange for reducing the number of temporary foreign workers allowed to enter the U.S. in the future. It is a calculation that could win a new and powerful ally—organized labor—but risks alienating businesses that rely on temporary workers as well as key Republicans such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

With unemployment on the rise, the Immigration debate has moved to the back burner as lawmakers fear enacting a law that could be seen as benefiting immigrants at the expense of struggling American workers.

Advocates believe that winning support from the AFL-CIO, which opposed previous legalization plans, will help gain support from House Democrats and increase leverage with the White House.

"Last time the coalition was not quite as solid as we would have hoped," said Ali Noorani, director of the National Immigration Forum, one of the advocacy groups negotiating with labor leaders over the strategy.

Ana Avendano, the AFL-CIO's point person on the issue, said the labor federation believes the economic woes and Democrats' enhanced power in Washington represents a sea change in which liberal groups can forge ahead without working with Republican-leaning business lobbyists.

FULL story at link.

[David Dunham]

1. Sadly, this will not pass with unemployment rising.

[Angleae]

3. I wouldn't count on that.

Politicians don't seem to care about unemployed (except unemployed corp. executives). They'd rather keep their pet projects than acknowledge it will hurt working people.

[EFerrari]

4. I agree and that's too bad because if undocumented workers

were "legal", their and our wages would have to go UP.

[sam sarrha]

2. lose more jobs.. we cant survive what we are losing on our own, my wife lost her job last week..6th

between us in 8 years due to outsourcing 3 to mexico.

they need to quit exporting their poverty to increase the standard of living for the Have-it-Alls there, who now have a standard of living 2nd only to France. they need a revolution THERE. we have over 10% of their population now.. up to about 20 million. its tragic, but we cant afford to continue it, we are simply subsidizing a corrupt government..

stats show if we legalize em all and they bring in what family they can, we will add nearly a 100,000,000 more people. our infrastructure cant handle it.