Grijalva says immigration reform not dead

Somerton - Unable to pass a comprehensive immigration reform law, Congress will begin working on a stripped-down version of the legislation, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva said Friday during a visit here.

Speaking at an immigration roundtable meeting with members of the Yuma County Interfaith Sponsoring Committee, the Tucson Democrat whose district includes Yuma County said members of the House Judicial Committee will begin hearings in September that could lead to a new reform bill.

Grijalva said lawmakers will focus on selected provisions of the previous legislation. Among them is the Dream Act, which would provide a path toward citizenship

to immigrant students who have completed high school and allow them to continue their education in the United States.

The hearings will also cover a guest worker program, as well as increased funding for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and other agencies to speed up processing of applications for permanent residency, he said.

Grijalva said he supports the Dream Act provision and added that the economy in Yuma County and around the country will suffer if an effective guest worker plan is not enacted.

Yuma-area education leaders told Grijalva that the enactment of the Dream Act provisions is essential in order to fill the country's need for health and education professionals.

"Colleges and universities are bringing in talent from China, from India and other countries so that they can be teachers in our schools, because we don't have enough qualified people," said Everardo Martinez, director of Arizona Western College's south county campus. "We are neglecting our community because we don't want to provide the resources."

Grijalva said the Democratic majority in Congress will seek an independent audit of the Bush administration's spending on border security measures.

"It's been three years of continued reinforcement of the border and the number of (Border Patrol) agents is more than 20,000, and now it's time to ask for an accounting," he said. "We want to know the results, yes, but also how and where the budget has been spent these years."

The roundtable also brought out members of the Yuma Patriots civilian border watch group, among them Yuma attorney John Minore, who said the efforts to beef up border security must continue.

"There are fewer people crossing," Minore said. "Yuma used to be the easiest place to cross, but we need to continue. I don't believe (the public) wants to see illegal entries, because it is inhumane to cross in the desert."

Minore said immigration laws are not being enforced adequately in cases where aliens are deported without being processed through the U.S. court system.

"We need to tell (illegal immigrants) that if they cross, it's going to affect their immigration status or they're going to be detained at least a week."

Minore also rejected Grijalva's contention that failure to pass immigration reform will lead to economic problems. "There are going to be local problems, but because a business can hire illegals and not pay taxes. Besides, the workers are abused and if something happens to them, citizens are also abused because we have to pay for their medical care.

"I don't believe there is going to be a problem. Mexico needs the United States more than the United States needs Mexico. But we have to fix what's broken. It's not fair to anyone, not for the people who cross the desert, not for the people who arrive legally, not for those of us who are here (already)."

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Cesar Neyoy is a staff writer for Bajo El Sol, The Sun's Spanish-language sister publication.