Agricultural Personnel Management Program
University of California

WASHINGTON -- The National Council of La Raza, the nation's top Hispanic civil rights organization, typically would applaud legislation to help undocumented immigrants in the United States become legal residents.

So would Derechos Humanos, a humanitarian group in southern Arizona that advocates for the rights of undocumented and legal immigrants.

But both groups are disappointed with several provisions of a bill being championed by Arizona lawmakers that would allow foreigners, including millions of undocumented immigrants, to obtain temporary U.S. work visas.

The lack of support among such groups illustrates the many hurdles awaiting Sen. John McCain and Reps. Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake in trying to win passage of their guest-worker bill [S. 1461 and H.R. 2899].

The three Republicans introduced separate versions of the same bill recently in the House and Senate.

McCain and the other lawmakers need the support of grass-roots organizations to make their case before Congress, where the bill will meet stiff opposition, especially in the House. There, measures to loosen immigration policy in recent years rarely have reached the floor for a vote.

So far, such grass-roots groups are skeptical and worry that the proposal might do foreign workers more harm than good.

Cecilia Muñoz, the National Council of La Raza's vice president, finds it unacceptable that undocumented immigrants must wait at least six years before they can apply for legal residency and that families of foreign workers would be kept apart for years at a time.

"We have serious concerns with the specifics of this legislation, which could seriously undermine the position of immigrants and other U.S. workers," Muñoz said.

Other leading pro-immigration groups are less critical but not enthusiastic.

"We hope the introduction of the first comprehensive immigration reform bill . . . will help push the debate forward," said John Gay, co-chairman of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, a group that includes scores of service-related businesses nationwide.

Kat Rodriguez, of Derechos Humanos, said she believes the legislation still would allow employers to exploit foreign workers.

"It's a government-to-business negotiation, so you see how it's factoring out people," she said.

She was among about 100 residents who turned out for a town hall meeting recently in Tucson with Kolbe to talk about the guest-worker bill. Reactions were mixed.

The bill has drawn a big yawn from groups that advocate tighter immigration controls. These groups, which are especially influential among House lawmakers, find the proposal laughable and are predicting an early death on Capitol Hill.

"It would be the biggest guest-worker plan this country has ever had," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based think tank that wants fewer immigrants admitted into the United States. "Who would run this thing?" he asked. "The Homeland Security Department? They've got their hands full."

McCain and the other lawmakers fully expected a cacophony of opposition to their legislation and don't expect swift passage.

"I hold no illusions," McCain said. "Reforming our nation's immigration laws will not be an easy task. However, we must not let the difficulty dissuade us from trying."