PenceBlog: <b><i>Washington Times, Washington Post</i> weigh in on Hutchison-Pence Plan</b> - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence : 6th District Of Indiana

Today the Washington Times and Washington Post are both running editorials detailing an immigration reform plan put forth by Senator Hutchison and Congressman Pence.

Details of the Hutchison-Pence Plan can be found by clicking here.

Here is an excerpt from the Times article:

"The five weeks remaining in this legislative session, once Congress returns from its August recess, will likely be the last opportunity Congress will have for several years to enact acceptable immigration reform. A weakened Republican majority would have little enthusiasm for reform; a weak Democratic majority would have none. Facing this impasse, Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana has provided what we think is a useful approach to compromise. This is not an endorsement of his bill, which as drafted includes fatal flaws. But, with continued chaos on the southern border unacceptable, we have reached the moment when both sides must make concessions to close that border.”

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"The compromise in the Pence bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, is to have a phased 'comprehensive' process whereby a guest-worker program would be instituted only after the border is declared secure. This is an alternative to both the enforcement-first bill the House approved last year, which we endorsed, and the Senate's disastrous amnesty package. We can accept the idea driving Mr. Pence's compromise bill because it attempts to assuage concerns that the federal government, and in particular this administration, has no real interest in closing the border. We are persuaded that the security provisions in the Senate amnesty package are merely empty promises to win conservative votes."

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"Despite these reservations, we urge Republican members to use the Pence-Hutchison compromise as a starting point. If a consensus can be reached that does not ignore national security or leave the serious problems for a later Congress to solve, Republicans can probably break the stalemate. But they must begin, and at once."

Here is an excerpt from the Post article:

"We are not endorsing Pence-Hutchison; that would be impossible given that no actual legislation has been introduced. We do, though, applaud its authors for seeking to refocus the immigration discussion in a positive way. One plus is that their brand of enforcement-first is not tied to achieving an unrealistic -- and unattainable without other reforms -- degree of border control. Rather, Pence-Hutchison concentrates on benchmarks tied to resources and capabilities: hiring more agents, increasing detention capacity and making certain that employers poised to hire immigrant workers have a reliable system (secure identification cards, accurate databases) to verify eligibility. Postponing the rest of reform for two years while these goals are met isn't ideal, but it's a reasonable compromise."

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"Still, the proposal is the most promising development in months and, however long a shot, deserves attention."

posted by Pence Press Office # 8:37 AM