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Aiming to make a difference

While immigrant boycotts helped keep pressure on Congress, their impact on legislation is unclear

BY TOM BRUNE | Newsday Washington Bureau

May 3, 2006

WASHINGTON - The sights and sounds of more than a million people in rallies, marches and boycotts across the country for immigrant rights reached the nation's Capitol, but may not sway many in Congress in the political battle over immigration reform legislation.

Monday's peaceful, multicity demonstrations provoked some negative reaction among voters, but also succeeded in maintaining pressure on Congress to continue working on the thorny issue of what to do with the 12 million undocumented immigrants already here, politicians, legislative aides and activists said yesterday.

"I think it made people cognizant that it's an issue that's out there, that's it's not going to go away," said moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine.).

In the Senate, where a bipartisan compromise bill that would provide a path to citizenship for those illegal immigrants stalled in early April, Republicans and Democrats said they have seen some movement in the past few days toward resolving the impasse between the two parties' leaders.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) were negotiating over the two sticking points: the number of amendments offered by opponents of the bill that would be considered and who would represent the Senate in talks with the House to resolve differences between their respective bills.

Citing the rallies, Reid yesterday offered to increase the number of amendments from the three per side he insisted on last month to 10 per side.

"I have made clear to the majority leader that I am flexible about the number we will vote on," he said.

Reid was less accommodating on the issue of Senate representation in working with the House, however, though he said he would listen to Frist's "alternative proposal."

"The leader is pleased Sen. Reid is finally being reasonable and coming to the table," Frist spokeswoman Amy Call said, adding, "We hope to bring the bill to the floor towards the end of the month."

While Reid praised the rallies as creating a "positive" image of immigration reform in the American mind, some Republicans were critical.

"I do not think it will have any impact on the Congress" Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said.

And Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), an opponent of legalization legislation, said it had created a backlash. "I don't think that Americans reacted well to a protest that says we don't have to follow the laws of the United States," he said.

But Frank Sharry, of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum, called the rallies a success and predicted there would be more to come.

"At this point, it's just clear to everyone that something historic is happening, and policymakers never fail to notice a crowd," Sharry said.