Conservatives: No Immigration Vote Without GOP Majority

A number of House conservatives said last week that House Majority Leader John Boehner (R.-Ohio) should not attempt to win passage of a final immigration reform bill if it includes a guest-worker plan like the one proposed in the Senate and if it does not enjoy the support of a majority of House Republicans.

As HUMAN EVENTS went to press last week, the Senate was working on a "compromise" immigration package that would let illegal aliens who have been in the U.S. for five years or more stay here permanently and become citizens. The proposal would allow illegal aliens who have been here from two to five years to become guest workers on a path to citizenship as long as they return to their home country first. Illegal aliens here less than two years would have to go home under the Senate proposal. HUMAN EVENTS Assistant Editor Amanda Carpenter asked congressmen about the legislation the day before the Senate announced its compromise.

Do you think the majority leader should move to the floor a guest-worker bill from the Senate if it doesn't have support from the majority of House Republicans?

REP. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R.-W.VA.): What I want is a border security, a border protection bill first. That's what 1 voted on. That's what I hoped would come out of conference.

Do you feel like border security is being held hostage for guest-worker?

CAPITO: I think there are always trade-offs and always negotiating, and obviously, that's one of the points people are going to hold the bill up for. But I tell you, my constituents are engaged and want this immigration issue addressed and they want it addressed with enforcement coming out in a bold way. So, we'll just keep pushing forward with it.

Should the majority leader try to pass a guest-worker bill from the Senate if it doesn't have support from the majority of House Republicans?

REP. TOM FEENEY (R.-FLA.): No. I would be terribly concerned if we take up the Senate bill, and I would encourage the majority leader that until we have a bill that the majority of House Republicans can support that we not take up any of the Senate proposals.

Do you think the White House and the Senate are holding border security hostage to get guest-worker?

FEENEY: I don't know if would call it holding it hostage. The legislative process is always a series of compromises, but having said that, Republicans need to convince the American citizenry that we are going to secure the borders. Then we can talk about allowing temporary workers coming in on a temporary basis to do the jobs that American wouldn't. secure the border first because we have 11 million people that we don't know who they are and what they are doing. And a lot of them are not Mexicans, which is very troubling. They may be terrorists. There may be security risks. And it is a huge burden on America's schools and hospitals. secure the border first, and then talk about how you do an effective temporary worker program.

It's been suggested by some that the House shouldn't even appoint conferees should guest-worker pass. Are you in that camp?

FEENEY: I don't know whether we should or shouldn't appoint conferees. I'll trust our leadership on that, but on the question of whether our leader should ever take up a Senate bill that has some sort of track towards citizenry or a huge guest-worker/amnesty-type program, I'm totally opposed to that.

Should the majority leader move a Senate guest-worker bill that doesn't have the support of a majority of House Republicans?

PHIL GINGREY (R.-GA.): No, I don't think so.

Should the majority leader attempt to move a guest-worker bill from the Senate that doesn't have the majority support of House Republicans?

REP. J.D. HAYWORTH (R.-ARIZ.): As I said last week, it would be my hope that the Speaker would not even name any conferees to meet with the Senate if the Senate passes a guest-worker/amnesty plan. So, that's my position. I don't even think we should move to take it up in any way, shape, fashion or form.

Do you think the White House and the Senate are attempting to hold border security hostage to get guest-worker?

HAYWORTH: I wrote a column, you may remember, I wrote a piece in the Washington Times...

You wrote the book, too.

HAYWORTH: I wrote the book [Whatever It Takes], too! But this [column] on the eve of the book's being released was about the political calculus involved in attempting to shove a guest-worker/amnesty bill down the throats of an unwilling public, and it looks positively prescient if you look at it today. You can quote from it freely! And the book, come to think of it!

Do you think the majority leader should move a Senate bill on immigration that contains guest-worker if it doesn't have the majority of House Republicans?

REP. JEB HENSARLING (R.-TEX.): Well, you don't ask easy questions do you? I'm of the opinion that a guest-worker program, temporary, not granting amnesty, not granting citizenship, is part of our border security solution.

How do you define amnesty? Some people define it differently.