President Bush Pushes Senators to Revive Immigration Bill

KWAME HOLMAN:

The last time President Bush took his motorcade to the Capitol for a Tuesday policy lunch with Senate Republicans was six years ago. His visit today to persuade more of them to support the stalled immigration bill was meant to underscore his desire for legislation that could become the top domestic achievement of his administration.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), Senate Majority Leader: It's the president's bill.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Majority Leader Harry Reid has been urging the president to get more involved. He sent the president a letter last night stressing it will require more Republican supporters before the Senate gets back to work on it.

SEN. HARRY REID:

The question is, do the Republicans support their president's immigration bill? At this stage, it's a resounding no. When it comes to be yes, when they get 25 or so votes for us, we'll have another proposition that we can bring to the Senate.

KWAME HOLMAN:

The immigration bill exists only because of a very fragile compromise reached among a bipartisan group of senators. In return for offering a path to citizenship for many of the estimated 12 million people currently in this country illegally, future immigration visas would be determined by a merit-based system. Those with certain job skills would get preference over those with family members already here.

Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions was not involved in forging the compromise and helped sink the bill last week. Sessions is unhappy with its two major tenets.

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), Alabama: The bill promised to go to a situation in which it would be a more merit-based system. That's eight years out, and that's really not in there in any significant way.

And in addition, it looks like, over the next 20 years, this will double the number of people who become legal permanent residents in America, and I don't think that was what was the American people anticipated when they looked for immigration reform.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson did help write the bill, but before today's lunch said the president must listen to the concerns of senators that a stronger commitment to money for border security is needed, and soon.

SEN. JOHNNY ISAKSON (R), Georgia: I hope there's going to be a discussion, and I hope it's going to be a discussion very much like you and I are having. If it is, it could be very productive, because we can try and find some common ground on the security issue. If it's not a discussion, then I don't think any progress, much would be made.

KWAME HOLMAN:

After the lunch, President Bush, flanked by Senate Republican leaders, described for reporters some of the attitudes he encountered.

GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States: Some members in there are — believe that we need to move a comprehensive bill. Some don't. I understand that. It's a highly emotional issue.

It's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of effort. We've got to convince the American people that this bill is the best way to enforce our border. I believe, without the bill, it's going to be harder to enforce the border. The status quo is unacceptable.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Republican leader Mitch McConnell called the meeting a "good give-and-take" and said he remained optimistic the bill could be revived.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader: But I do think this bill is about 80 percent or 85 percent of the way through toward the finish line, and we don't have any interest in giving up on it.

KWAME HOLMAN:

And later, Majority Leader Reid reissued his offer to bring back the bill when enough Republicans are there to support it.

SEN. HARRY REID:

It is up to the Republicans. I have agreed to go forward on this, if they give me a way to go forward on it.

KWAME HOLMAN:

But Senator Sessions, for one, said he was not persuaded by the president and argued that bringing the bill back too soon would diminish public support for it.

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS:

If it comes back up, we're going to have to have another national discussion on where the weaknesses in the legislation are. And I think the confidence of the American — of support by the American people in the bill will sink further.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Still, if Republicans can agree on a restricted number of amendments, Democratic Leader Reid said he'll reopen debate on the immigration bill as early as next week.