The Tancredos v. Kennedys: The Immigration Debate

Heading into what Sen. Ted Kennedy called "D-Day" this morning for an immigration compromise--the last real day a compromise could be reached before Sen. Harry Reid's firm Monday deadline--some people were hopeful a compromise was on the horizon, but the prospects didn't look great. What's emerged, though, walks the finest of tightropes: Hard-liners looking for a more punitive solution for the immigration crisis, like presidential candidate Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, have plenty to gripe about, as do those on the other side like Kennedy, who has long focused on human rights, bringing the 12 million illegal immigrants in the country out of the shadows, and reuniting families.

Associate Editor Angie C. Marek runs down some of the biggest concessions, and difficult-to-swallow ideas for both sides, in the Senate's grand compromise:

*For the Tancredos--legalizing the 12 million. Hard-liners are already pouncing on what's been in the carefully crafted immigration compromise for weeks--the decision to allow the 12 million people already here to legalize their status and get a "Z Visa" if they pay hefty penalties ($5,000 plus fees) and briefly send their head of household back to their home country. Already immigration hawks are calling it "amnesty," despite its many requirements. "This proposal would do lasting damage to the country, American workers, and the rule of law," Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said this afternoon. Rep. Peter King of New York, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, said the measure "would reward lawbreakers and legalize scores of criminals and terror suspects."

*For the Kennedys--loosening family ties. There's a reason the crucial final step of negotiations involved finalizing a point-based system that would for the first time prioritize needed work skill sets like higher-education degrees over family connections in the United States when filling some legal immigration spots. More than two thirds of legal immigrants today come for family reunification purposes. That segment would be cut somewhat, reserving 40 percent of the spots for those with needed skill sets. To get a green card, applicants would need more than just family ties--unless they're the minor child or spouse of someone here legally.

*For the Tancredos--the Dream Act. This proposal, which has been a Kennedy project for years, would help illegal immigrants brought to the country as children get in-state tuition in college. As part of the larger compromise, such immigrants enrolled in college or the military would be immediately eligible for the Z Visa and could attain legal permanent status in the United States in just three years. Getting such a permanent status could take eight to 12 years for the rest of the 12 million.

*For the Kennedys--truly temporary workers. Democrats had pushed for the future guest workers coming to the United States to be able to stay on and work in the country indefinitely, potentially getting on a pathway to citizenship. The guest workers in the final bill, however, can come for three two-year stints, but they'll have to go home for a year between each work period. They'll get no advantage in the citizenship queue. Tom Snyder, national political director of UNITE HERE, a union advocating less restrictive reforms, called the guest-worker provision in the bill "a revolving door of second-class temporary workers" in a release this afternoon.

Video: Bush Hails Immigration Deal