Immigration dissonance

By Lisa Mascaro

Thursday, March 6, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Republican senators introduced a package of tough anti-illegal-immigration bills Wednesday, rekindling an emotional issue that has dogged their party’s presumed presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, just as he was claiming front-runner status.

The 15 bills would revisit many of the issues from past, failed attempts to revise the nation’s immigration laws. Republicans believe their approach will spark voter interest heading into the fall election.

In Nevada, reigniting the immigration issue poses challenges for the state’s lawmakers, who are routinely scrutinized over their votes. Nevada has a growing immigrant population, and voters are passionate on both sides of the debate.

But Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who is leading the Republican effort, said as the bills were unveiled: “What’s wrong with asking people to declare their views in an election year?”

The senators introduced their bills as McCain was headed to the White House to lunch with President Bush and receive his endorsement after a long-fought campaign. McCain essentially clinched his party’s nomination during Tuesday’s primaries, and various senators took to the Senate floor Wednesday morning to say that although they had not initially backed his effort, they were now offering support.

But immigration has been McCain’s weak spot among conservatives since he led efforts to revise immigration laws by including a path to citizenship for the 12 million immigrants living in this country illegally.

Rekindling an issue that has divided the party on the day Republicans were trying to coalesce around its presumed nominee sent a mixed message.

Angela Kelley, director of the Immigration Policy Center, an immigrants’ rights advocacy group, said Republicans are mistaken if they think they will score points with voters by backing enforcement-only proposals.

“Republicans haven’t gotten the memo: Trying to beat up on immigrants isn’t a good issue in an election year,” she said. “I think they’re playing with fire on this.”

The bills are not likely to be given floor time in the Senate — which means they are more likely to fuel political, rather than policy, debates.

The bills introduced by a dozen senators include proposals to make English the country’s official language, establish mandatory jail sentences for those who enter the country illegally, set a 2010 deadline for building the border fence, ban the use of Mexican government-issued ID cards at banks and withhold federal funds from cities that offer illegal immigrants sanctuary or states that grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.