Wednesday, May 23, 2007 | 7:04 a.m.
WASHINGTON - The immigration debate unfolding this week in the Senate is not likely to help Sen. John Ensign raise money to get Republicans elected in 2008 and also poses difficulties for others in Nevada's congressional delegation.
Ensign voted this week to proceed with the debate, risking disapproval from the party base he relies on to raise cash as he joined a majority of senators in trying to fix what many in Congress agree is a broken system.
"The politics of this are very dicey - for both sides," Ensign said in an interview Tuesday. "Anytime you have this complex of an issue and this emotional of an issue, the politics become very difficult."
Immigration has been a challenging topic in Nevada, where undocumented workers fuel Las Vegas' booming tourist economy but also spark opposition from some residents who don't approve of the changing culture of the city.
Hispanics took to the Las Vegas streets in unprecedented protests last year over House-passed legislation that made criminals of undocumented immigrants and their families. The Senate debated softer language supported by President Bush that would have provided a guest-worker program and path to citizenship for 12 million immigrants in this country illegally, but the congressional session ended last year without immigration bill approval.
Now as Congress again attempts the first substantial revision of the nation's immigration laws in 20 years, Nevada's delegation finds itself navigating the shifting demographic and political landscape.
"Everybody's watching this extremely closely," said Robert Gomez, chairman of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas, where nearly 30 percent of residents are Hispanic. "Immigration affects not just Latinos, it affects us all."
This year's bill had no sooner been unveiled this week when it came under fire from the right and the left.
Conservatives protest provisions that would allow illegal immigrants already in the United States to start on a path to citizenship - amnesty, in their words, for rule breakers.
Those on the left refuse to accept new rules for temporary workers that they say would create a second-class citizenry or new formulas that value skills rather than family ties as reasons for immigration.
Already dozens of amendments are being offered.
Republican Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said Tuesday that his position has not shifted from last year: He wants a temporary-worker program and some path to citizenship for those here illegally.
Porter came under fire last year from immigrants' advocates after voting for the tough House bill, and eventually softened his stance, saying he always expected the bill would be merged in the Senate with Bush's plan for temporary workers and legalization for the 12 million undocumented immigrants.
However, on last fall's campaign trail, Porter ultimately could not support the Senate bill because the legalization plan was not strict enough.
Porter said the new bill must contain provisions to prevent legalized residents from collecting Social Security benefits they accrued while undocumented and other restrictions to win his support.
"I support a temporary-worker program - it's one of the most important things we can do," he said. "But I don't support amnesty."
Most agree some sort of border control and enforcement are needed for any bill to win congressional approval.
Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley, who voted against last year's House bill, is co-sponsoring legislation this year that would include provisions similar to those being considered in the Senate.
Republican Rep. Dean Heller is not inclined to support citizenship legislation as it now appears in the Senate, which he says sounds like nothing more than amnesty.
Ensign voted against the Senate plan last year, but Tuesday said he could support the new bill's citizenship provisions if those who are here illegally meet certain requirements, such as learning English. He also wants to prevent them from receiving Social Security benefits accrued while they were undocumented, a provision he failed to get enacted during last year's debate.
Although recent polls show nearly 80 percent of Americans want some sort of path to citizenship for those here illegally, Ensign's views could put him at odds with the conservative Republican base he relies on as he tries to raise money as chairman of the Senate's campaign arm. Democrats are vastly outpacing him, according to recent financial reports.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose views tack to the left in alignment with immigration advocacy groups, told reporters the dissension is a good sign that compromise is possible.
"One of the things I like about this bill is there's so much disagreement," Reid said Tuesday. "No one's happy."
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