Washington – A renewed congressional drive to pass immigration reform hit a roadblock Thursday when lawmakers split along party lines on a White House proposal.

Republicans either defended the Bush administration’s ideas or called them starting points for discussion.
 

Democrats said parts of the proposal were unworkable, including high costs to apply for permanent residency, and a temporary-worker program that would not allow workers to bring their families.

Those party-line differences came less than a day after a bipartisan group of senators, including Colorado Democrat Ken Salazar, met to start work on a new immigration bill.

"I do not want a comprehensive immigration reform proposal that’s not going to be workable," Salazar said. "When we create conditions that are so onerous, it won’t solve the problem."

By Anne C. Mulkern
Denver Post Staff Writer
March 29, 2007

Topics: Amnesty, Illegal Immigration, Guest Worker Program, Immigration Reform Bills, Department of Homeland Security, President Bush, Republicans, Democrats, Congress, Senate, Temporary Worker Program, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Bipartisan Bill, Illegal Aliens, Work Visas, Bush Administration, American Immigration Lawyers Association,

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers performing anti-terror inspections at the Bridge of the Americas port of entry in El Paso seized 4,723 pounds of marijuana from one commercial truck and an additional 430 pounds of the drug in a second commercial vehicle Thursday. The last time CBP officers in El Paso made a larger drug bust occurred almost two years ago when a 6,182-pound marijuana seizure was made at the Ysleta commercial facility.

The seizures made Thursday were the highlights of a week in which CBP officers working at border ports of entry in El Paso, West Texas and New Mexico seized 12,040 pounds of marijuana in 49 seizures, 9.7 pounds of cocaine in one seizure, and a personal use quantity of methamphetamine in one additional seizure.

"Last year we averaged about 2,500 pounds of seized marijuana per week at our area ports," said Luis Garcia, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations in El Paso. "What we are seeing now is the direct result of the hard work and dedication to mission being exhibited by the CBP workforce. I could not be any prouder of the men and women of CBP working in the El Paso area."

El Paso Times Staff Report

March 30, 2007

Topics: Illegal Immigration, Illegal Aliens, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers, Drug Bust, Drug Smugglers, Border Patrol,