U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., is proposing an amendment that could shake up the fragile alliance pushing an immigration reform plan in the Senate.
Last week, a bipartisan group of senators and the White House announced a compromise proposal on the problem that has angered those on the left and right. You can read the details by clicking here.
The Senate began debating the bill on Monday, and is taking on the first of several sticky points today – the creation of a guest-worker program that would bring in at least 400,000 temporary workers to the
Critics of that proposal, including union groups, say it’s a pro-industry provision that keeps immigrants working for low wages and also keeps down wages for American workers. Backers of the proposal say the guest workers are doing jobs Americans won’t.
Today, the Senate is debating a proposal by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., to eliminate the guest-worker program, but his attempt will likely fail. Assuming that happens, Bingaman will introduce an amendment that would cut the number of guest workers in half, to 200,000.
Bingaman, a middle-ground Democrat, said he doesn’t favor Dorgan’s proposal to eliminate a guest-worker program, but thinks the program needs to be smaller.
“I hope I can prevail on that,” Bingaman said.
His amendment could take center stage in the immigration debate later this week. Any amendment, particularly those that deal with hot-button issues like the guest-worker program, have the potential to rattle the bipartisan alliance pushing the immigration reform plan.
Domenici is already a sponsor of a bill to increase the number of judges along the border, but he hopes putting the proposal into the immigration bill will move it through Congress.
The Senate hopes to vote on the immigration plan in June.