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Chertoff Scolds Senate on Immigration
The homeland security chief on Sunday scolded the Senate for failing to pass an immigration bill and said it will be difficult for the government to crack down on illegal workers. "We're going to continue to enforce the law. It's going to be tough," Michael Chertoff said. "We don't really have the ability to enforce the law with respect to illegal work in this country in a way that's truly effective." Last week, President Bush's plan to legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants while fortifying the border and strengthening enforcement collapsed in the Senate. The measure fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to reach final passage. Three-quarters of the Senate's Republicans voted to derail the bill. Chertoff said Senate opponents deprived his department of the ability to ensure stricter enforcement by requiring companies to enter in a system to check their employees' work status.
Story Continues Below "That would be the single greatest additional weapon we could use if we're serious about tackling this problem," he said. "But we will do what we have to do with the resources we have at our disposal." Chertoff expressed hope that an immigration overhaul was not dead for the year. Lawmakers in both parties have said further action was unlikely this year, dooming its prospects as the 2008 presidential race intensifies. "I think we're going to say to the members of Congress who think they have a better way that they should produce legislation and pass legislation, which they have not done for the past two years," Chertoff said. Chertoff spoke on "Fox News Sunday" and "This Week" on ABC.
© 2007 Associated Press.
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics: Inside Cover Stories
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