Foes cheer as immigration bill fails; backers aim to fight on

By ANNA VARELA, SHELIA POOLE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/09/07

The apparent death of an immigration reform bill in Washington has some in metro Atlanta cheering and others praying for a way to revive the effort.

D.A. King, a vocal critic of illegal immigration, was one of many who were quick to call the proposal in the U.S. Senate an amnesty bill that would have rewarded people who broke the law to enter the United States.

“Having worked very, very hard to kill the bill, I am elated,” said King, president of the Marietta-based Dustin Inman Society. He predicted the bill would not come back up this year or next.

On the other side of the issue, Jerry Gonzalez, the executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, sent out an e-mail Friday urging people to call, e-mail or fax elected officials to demand that they resume debate on immigration reform.

If the effort is allowed to die, Gonzalez said, Georgia’s farmers, poultry producers and textile industry will struggle with a shortage of workers. “In order for Georgia’s economy to continue going forward, Georgia needs immigration reform,” he said.

As for illegal immigrants themselves, interviews in Cobb County found several who were devastated by the news that the reform bill might be dead.

“Now I feel the same as before — without hope,” said Manuel Barron, a construction worker from Mexico.

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, roughly 400 pages of legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of senators, appeared to grind to a halt Thursday night when supporters failed to cut off debate and move forward to a vote on the bill.

The bill would set up a new guest worker program and create a new “Z” visa that would allow illegal immigrants who entered the United States before Jan. 1 to apply for the right to live and work here legally. Applicants would have to clear a criminal background check and pay fines to receive the renewable visa.

The bill also outlined a “touchback” procedure that would allow illegal immigrants to apply for permanent residency in the U.S. if they first returned to their home country.

Wayne Lord, vice president of governmental affairs for Pilgrim’s Pride, a poultry company that employs 10,000 people in Georgia, said he’s optimistic that the bill isn’t dead and that senators will continue to work toward a solution.

“We need this legislation now. The country can’t really postpone these decisions,” Lord said.

Sue Colussy, who oversees a group of immigration lawyers at Catholic Social Services, said “it’s better to have no bill than a bad bill.” She objected to several provisions, including a sharp reduction in the ability of legal residents — including those who become U.S. citizens — to sponsor family members to join them in the United States.

Some church leaders say it is time to pray for reform. Leaders at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a predominantly black church in DeKalb County, and some social justice groups had already planned a Unity Prayer Service for Immigration at New Birth on Sunday afternoon.

The bill’s failure to advance in the Senate “further justifies the reason to pray,” said Velez, the pastor of the church’s Latino ministry.

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