Immigration reform bill's result relieves officials

Many local lawmakers applauded the death of the immigration reform bill on Thursday that would have legalized millions of illegal immigrants and said the issue will spark debate in the 2008 presidential race.

"It's a dead issue in Congress," said Huntington Beach Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. "I would hope the [presidential] candidates pay close attention to the lesson the Senate has just learned: Americans will oppose any bill that supports legalizing the status of those who are here illegally … they will not be bamboozled by Congress or presidential candidates."

The Bush/Kennedy bill fell short of generating the 60 Senate votes needed, getting just 46 votes.

While conservative GOP legislators panned the bill from the beginning, others in the community said it represented progress, even if it wasn't everything they wanted.

"I think that increasing border security is a must and I think that dealing with the people who are already here is a must, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to try to send them all home," said Costa Mesa attorney Chris Blank, who opposed a 2005 proposal to have Costa Mesa police enforce immigration law.

"This bill had both those elements, and although it may not have been perfect it was a step in a good direction."

The bill would have increased the number of border patrol agents and created a system for employers to verify the legal status of workers they hire.

In addition, the bill would have created a temporary-worker program that would bring in 200,000 immigrants a year, and allowed eligible illegal immigrants to work in this country.

Many critics assailed the bill as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants.

"Giving amnesty to those that are here illegally is a slap in the face to those who are doing it the right way," said Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor, who has pushed for local enforcement of immigration laws.

In Laguna Beach, where the city-sponsored Day Labor Site has been a flashpoint in the illegal immigration debate, Minuteman Project member Eileen Garcia declared victory for her side.

Garcia says she phoned and faxed California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and other legislators, daily for the past week to express her opposition to the bill.

"What happened today in the Senate is a direct result of the people rising up," Garcia said. "I think that this is what the people want."