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Clinton's immigration positions draw criticism

BY GLENN THRUSH | WASHINGTON BUREAU

April 25, 2006

WASHINGTON - On April 5, at the height of the Senate's immigration debate, Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered an impassioned speech to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, praising the "hard work" of undocumented immigrants and honoring those who died in the military.

"The debate about border security is a real one," Clinton said. "But this debate is not just about our borders, it's about the lives of 12 million or so of our fellow human beings [who reside in the U.S. illegally]."

But a few weeks later, Clinton delivered a much sharper-edged message to law-and-order Daily News columnist Michael Goodwin, backing construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Clinton told Goodwin she supports a lenient guest worker program, but would agree to phasing in such a plan "12 to 24 months" after beefing up border safeguards.

The latter position puts Clinton out of step with her party's Senate leadership and to the right of GOP presidential hopeful John McCain (R-Ariz.), who supports improving security and giving workers a path to citizenship simultaneously.

And it's prompted critics to say she's tailoring her statements to appease different constituencies.

"It smells of political pandering," said Jeanne Butterfield, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which supports immediate reforms. "We have no problem with strong border protections, but anyone who thinks you can have immigration reform starting with just border protections has their head in the sand."

During the weekend, Goodwin wrote in his column that Clinton indicated "her support for a time lag" between border security and reforms. Yesterday, Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines seemed to back off that assertion, saying the senator would only support a lag as a last resort.

"If the alternative is no reform at all, then she would consider it," he said.

Butterfield and other advocates say that increasing enforcement without providing an immediate path to citizenship could result in penalizing the hard-working immigrants whom Clinton praised in her speech.

National Review editor Rich Lowry, a frequent critic, lauded Clinton for "finding the smart place to be" on immigration but accused her of "narrow-casting" distinct messages to appease both conservatives and liberals.

In 2003, Clinton raised eyebrows by telling a radio interviewer she was "adamantly opposed to illegal immigrants."

Clinton has played a minor role in this year's Senate debate, eschewing many strategy sessions, reportedly out of deference to Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), the Democrats' lead negotiator. By contrast, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has played a central political role, urging Democratic leaders to block votes on GOP amendments that could be damaging in the midterm elections.