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Hillary tackles migrant policy

BY GLENN THRUSH | WASHINGTON BUREAU

May 23, 2006

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a stern lecture to Long Island business executives yesterday on the evils of hiring undocumented immigrants, while offering a surprisingly downbeat assessment of prospects for immigration overhaul before the midterm elections.

Clinton predicted the Senate would pass a comprehensive package this week but said the effort was likely to die when a compromise measure was negotiated with the House, which she says has taken a "Just Say No" attitude to the Senate's relatively lenient guest worker proposal.

"Whether we do this before the midterms ... I would be doubtful," Clinton told members of the Long Island Association in Woodbury yesterday morning. "There are people who want this as an issue. They want to stir up their base."

Clinton has, characteristically, sought the middle ground on immigration, backing a lenient amnesty program while calling for tough border security and enforcement of laws penalizing businesses that use undocumented workers.

"We have to make it clear to employers that if you employ people illegally you're going to have to pay a price," Clinton said. "I've had lots of constituents around the state tell me how much they're against illegal immigration. I say, 'Well, have you or anyone you know ever hired an illegal immigrant to take care of your yard or your child or have you ever gone to a restaurant where someone ... might be illegal?'"

Clinton also took issue with America's southern neighbors, saying most of the 10 million to 12 million immigrants were driven away from home by "corrupt" governments or employers.