Bush, Pelosi Under Fire Over Immigration

Since 12-14-06

By Nathan Burchfiel

CNSNews.com Staff Writer

December 13, 2006

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200612/POL20061213a.html

(CNSNews.com) - A California group that favors strict limits on immigration is airing a radio ad criticizing incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and President Bush for their anticipated cooperation on immigration reform.

"At a time when immigration is overwhelming California, it's horribly ironic our state's own representative is the one pushing for open-ended increases in immigration," Diana Hull, president of Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS), said in a statement Tuesday.

Hull said Californians "want less immigration, not more, and so do most Americans. Now that Representative Pelosi is becoming Speaker Pelosi, it's time for her politics to grow up for the good of this state and the country."

The ad is currently airing in Los Angeles and San Diego, outside Pelosi's home district, which covers most of San Francisco. It encourages listeners to join the group to "stop this Congress and President Bush from increasing immigration."

The group predicts that Bush, who supports a "guest worker" amnesty program for illegal residents, will use the issue as a way to show bipartisan cooperation with the incoming Democratic majorities in Congress.

Earlier this year, Pelosi opposed a House immigration bill that -- among other things -- would have made being in the country illegally a felony, and she instead advocated for "a pathway to earned legalization and citizenship with tough requirements of paying fines and back taxes, being employed, and learning English."

Hull told Cybercast News Service her group opposes immigration because the United States is "too crowded." She said the new ad campaign seeks to educate Californians about overcrowding and get them involved in lobbying Congress to resist open-borders policies.

"We have stopped the amnesty now for several sessions of Congress, and we do that because people in general don't want this and they're willing to write and e-mail ... their members of Congress," she said.

Hull added that the group has an education campaign that shows what she called the "connection of overpopulation with most of America's problems," including traffic, health care costs, crimes, jobs and national security.

While anti-immigration activists are worried that Bush and Pelosi will unite on immigration reform, supporters of open borders are hoping for it.

"Republican leadership tried, but failed, to make immigration the wedge issue that would ensure their continued control of Congress after aggressively promoting an enforcement-only measure as their solution to reforming our broken immigration system," the Immigrant Legal Resource Center said in its analysis of the Nov. 7 election results.

The group points out that Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich), a "strong supporter of pro-immigration and immigrant measures," will become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which has oversight on many issues related to immigration.

ILRC said it hopes for an immigration system that "reunites families, allows people who are here to earn the opportunity to stay and achieve legal status as permanent residents, gives American employers the workers they need, creates a legal pathway for people to come here in the future, and enhances our security."