Bush and liberal Democrats may not have the votes they want to pass amnesty for illegals

December 5, 2006

Through 2006, the Democrats in the Senate and the House of Representatives presented a largely united front on immigration, and provided Republican President George W. Bush with crucial support for a measure that would have given amnesty to between 12 million and 20 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S.

But as the Democrats prepare to take leadership power on Capitol Hill in January, tensions are surfacing within the party’s new representatives over amnesty and other aspects of the immigration debate.

Democratic leaders insist that reforming immigration law is a priority, but they acknowledge that building consensus on such a law will be tricky.

Many incoming House Democrats took stances on immigration issues that were more conservative than those staked out by the party's congressional stalwarts. One House Democratic strategist estimates that about half of the almost 30 seats that Democrats took from Republicans went to candidates who took conservative positions on immigration reform.

Persuading them to back the type of immigration bill the Senate passed this year will be difficult, particularly in cases where the lawmakers won by small margins and can expect tough 2008 re-election bids. Still, many Democrats think it can be done.

Some party leaders worry that backing a bill that includes a path to citizenship for illegals would alienate some African Americans, who have traditionally competed with Latino immigrants for jobs. And the Democrats will have to contend with a newly energized left wing, which could push to do more for legal and illegal immigrants.

"Just because we have the majority doesn't mean we have enough votes for an immigration reform bill," said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, "We're going to have to take the temperature" on how to proceed.

How aggressively the party will push for an immigration bill in the next Congress remains in doubt. House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi did not include the issue on her list of immediate goals. She did, however, broach the subject with Bush in their first post-election meeting.