tdaxp

"http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050512/news_1n1...," by Jerry Kammer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2005, http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050512/news_1n12immig.html (from Democratic Underground).

"Trade Pact on Slippery Slope," by Edwin Chen, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2005, http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cafta12may12,0,3224235.story?coll=la-home-headlines (from Democratic Underground).

The fight continues for North American integration

Senators Kennedy and McCain are trying to liberalize movement of people

Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate will introduce legislation today that could grant legal status to an estimated 10 million to 12 million illegal immigrants now in the United States.

The bills, which would dwarf previous programs to provide legal status to foreign workers, would give illegal immigrants work permits and the opportunity to apply for permanent residence and eventually citizenship once they pay a fine and fees.

...

The sponsors have scheduled a news conference today to kick off a publicity campaign. It will be coordinated with immigrant advocates and church groups as well as business and farming organizations that want to stabilize their work forces.

Flake said the bills seek to bring immigration law in line with job markets that have become increasingly dependent on illegal immigrants because legal workers aren't filling the jobs.

President Bush will pursue his top trade initiative today as he welcomes six Latin American leaders to the White House, but the trade agreement Bush seeks faces serious trouble in Congress and could be defeated by his fellow Republicans.

With showdown votes just weeks away, the Central American Free Trade Agreement still lacks majority support in the Senate and the House, with a near-solid phalanx of Democrats lined up in opposition and key Republicans in open revolt.

The battle over CAFTA, as the agreement is known, illustrates the crosscurrents that swirl through Congress whenever a major trade issue surfaces, as local political imperatives often trump party loyalty. The trade controversy also underscores the pitfalls of Bush's strategy of relying on his slim majorities in Congress to enact a Republican agenda.