Pastor optimistic on immigration reform

PHOENIX - Despite a lower-than-expected turnout to his semi-annual citizenship drive, Rep. Ed Pastor (D-4), appearing at the event, was upbeat on the potential for immigration reform in the House this session.

Pastor, a member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and a chief deputy whip for the leadership, said he was fairly confident that the House could "bring stability to the immigration debate" and pass significant legislation on the issue Arizonans say is the most important to them.

He told PolitickerAZ that, contrary to assertions by Reps. Jeff Flake (R-6) and Harry Mitchell (D-5) Friday that piecemeal immigration reform would be blocked this year and that "nothing's going to happen until after the election," Pastor expressed hope that some immigration reform legislation would advance.

In particular, Pastor said he is working with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) in crafting legislation to extend and expand the employment visa program currently in place, which is set to expire, and to bring skilled workers into the country, and to establish a program that would allow illegal immigrants already in the U.S. to get visas so they could continue working here legally.

"Knowing there are a number of people working here who don't have documents," said Pastor, "we need a process that would allow them to stay and earn legal status." The legislation he is drafting would grant worker visas to immigrants who "have been working in the country, have had no problems with the law and have an employer who wants them and is willing to vouch for them," he said. The visas would also apply to the worker's family. "The head of household can apply on behalf of his family," Pastor said.

Pastor claims the legislation would go a long way toward fixing what is universally acknowledged to be a broken immigration system. "It will hopefully bring the debate on ICE raids and employer sanctions to a close," said Pastor.

The legislation he his working on is heir to the STRIVE Act, a bill that would have accomplished what Pastor says the new legislation will, and which also sought tighter border security and internal immigration enforcement. Despite earning bipartisan support, including the cosponsorship of Rep. Flake, the bill stalled and was never brought to the floor.

Border security needs to be a priority, said Pastor, but not in the form the House is currently considering. "I don't support the discharge petition for the SAVE Act," said Pastor.

The SAVE Act of 2007, which attracted 167 cosponsors, would increase funding for law enforcement and border security measures, as well as improve infrastructure for tracking an employee's legal status and make it harder for employers to get away with using illegal labor.

It has been bottled up by Democratic leadership, but Republicans have circulated a discharge petition, a seldom-employed procedure to force a bill out of committee, to get the SAVE Act to the floor. All four Republican congressmen from Arizona have signed it, but currently it is short of the 218 signatures needed to prevail.

However, Pastor said that certain parts of the legislation should be salvaged. "There are some portions that will definitely be in future bills," he said.