Editorial: Immigration reform now

Sunday, May 14, 2006 | 7:15 a.m.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., have hammered out an agreement to return this week to the hotly debated topic of immigration. We have written previously that immigration reform should be the Senate's top priority, and we are glad that the Senate's leaders have redoubled their efforts after recently reaching an impasse - especially given that many lawmakers likely would prefer to jettison the controversial issue in this election year.

Of course, Congress has a long way to go before it approves meaningful immigration legislation. Reid and Frist have only agreed on some rules of debate, including how amendments will be handled. It is possible that some turn in the debate could sidetrack a final vote. And even if the Senate passes a bill, it is likely to vary significantly from a House-approved bill. A panel of House-Senate negotiators would face tense talks to work out the differences.

The House approved a bill largely devoted to stricter border security measures. It doesn't contain a workable solution for the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in this country and seeks to punish the employers who hire them.

We hope legislation emerges from the Senate that not only strengthens our borders but also has provisions that create a path to citizenship for the undocumented workers with clean records. These people toil here every day, many at the low-income jobs that keep our economy strong.

Nevada itself is no stranger to this debate and has a great interest in a reasonable outcome. Indeed, the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington-based organization, estimates that there are 105,000 undocumented workers in Nevada - about 10 percent of the state's labor force and the second-highest percentage among all the states.

Reid and Frist aim to schedule a vote on a final bill by Memorial Day. It remains to be seen, however, if both houses of Congress have the fortitude to work all the way through the highly complex, politically charged issue and pass a meaningful bill. It is their job to tackle the toughest of issues facing our nation, and it is in the best interest of all citizens - current and future - that they act this year.