Immigration overhaul plan meets fierce resistance in House

WASHINGTON — As the Senate headed for a final vote on immigration policy today, the rift between the administration and House Republicans on the issue seemingly deepened Wednesday as GOP lawmakers rebuffed attempts by White House aide Karl Rove to win their support for the broad overhaul endorsed by President Bush.

"There's a lot of emotion coming out there," Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said after an early departure from the morning meeting between Rove and House Republicans. "Some of the members, the smoke is probably coming out their ears, as it's coming out of mine."

The session followed a White House meeting Tuesday at which Bush pressed House Republicans to back a revamping of immigration law that extends beyond beefing up enforcement along borders and at work sites — the focus of a House bill passed in December. Rove, Bush's senior political adviser, made similar arguments during a Capitol Hill visit last week.

Bush has thrown his weight behind the Senate approach, which calls for tougher enforcement efforts but also establishes a guest-worker program and creates a path to U.S. citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants in the country.

But conservative Republicans in both chambers of Congress see legalization measures as "amnesty" — an unacceptable reward for lawbreakers and a perilous position to support in an election year.

"I'm not sensing [movement] among people who haven't been willing to compromise in the past," Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said of his colleagues.

King criticized what he termed a "tremendous resistance" on the administration's part to enforce existing immigration laws. "So why should we think [it's] going to enforce any laws we might pass? ... The [administration's] credibility on that is gone."

Despite such barbed remarks, Rove insisted after Wednesday's meeting that he "could be" making headway.

Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the former House majority leader, also stressed the positive, saying a solution to the impasse could be "very close." Still, the scenario that he detailed could spark widespread opposition in the Senate.

DeLay, who is resigning his seat next month because of legal problems that clouded his re-election prospects, said it is "incredibly important" for Congress to produce a final bill before November's vote. He said the House was open to discussing a guest-worker program but would not consider legalization provisions that he termed "amnesty."

Many House Republicans have concluded that any compromise that would allow illegal immigrants to earn legal status could be political suicide.

"The mood is so angry, we can't hold the House with any bill" like that, said Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind. "The Senate bill would be worse than nothing."

Other Republicans are fearful of a different political risk — that the party would suffer if it came up empty-handed after the long, emotional debate that has spilled into the streets of major cities.

"At the end of the day, 'no deal' doesn't work," said Rep. Thomas Davis III, R-Va. "This will be a test for voters: Are Republicans capable of governing?"

On the Senate side, a bipartisan group of lawmakers have said they will not accept legislation that fails to address the residency status of the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

The Senate set the stage for today's expected passage of its bill by voting Wednesday, 73-25, to limit debate on it. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., supported that "cloture" vote.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he and others were speaking to their House colleagues to try to form an alliance that would result in a compromise bill.

"We are all reaching out," McCain said. "There are ad-hoc groups all over the place."

Some House Republicans feel the best political course may be to put off final action on immigration until after the 2006 election. Another strategy would be to craft a strict compromise that would cause the bill to lose Democratic support in the Senate. If it died, the thinking goes, Republicans could blame Democrats for blocking border protections.

It may, however, be difficult for Republicans to pass blame, since they are perceived as being in charge. And many are eager to refute the view, expressed in polls showing low approval ratings for Congress, that lawmakers are not doing enough to solve the nation's most urgent problems.

"People are looking for a result," Republican pollster David Winston said. "It may take a few weeks, and tempers may wear thin, but there's an understanding that something needs to be produced."

Los Angeles Times reporter Janet Hook contributed to this report. The votes by Murray and Cantwell were reported by The Associated Press.