WASHINGTON, March 23 — Republican and Democratic senators accused the Bush administration on Tuesday of doing too little to transform President Bush's sweeping immigration plan into legislation that might be voted into law this year.
Mr. Bush made headlines in January with his proposal to grant temporary legal status to millions of illegal immigrants. But administration officials have yet to propose any specific legislation, and Republicans in Congress, who are deeply divided over the proposal, say it is unlikely that a major immigration bill will pass in this election year.
Administration officials told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing on Tuesday that the president was unlikely to back any other immigration bills pending in Congress, including bipartisan legislation intended to provide legal status to some illegal farm workers and certain groups of students.
Among those expressing frustration at the lack of progress were Senators Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, John McCain of Arizona and Larry E. Craig of Idaho, all Republicans, and Senators Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois and Barbara Boxer of California, all Democrats. They warned that the session would probably end without the passage of any significant immigration legislation unless prompt action was taken.
"This is an immense task for us, and it is going to require intense presidential leadership," Mr. Hagel told Bush administration officials at the hearing. "My question would be: What is the administration doing? What will the administration do to push this issue since you do not have your own proposal up here?"
"The president deserves credit for stepping forward, as I have said many times publicly, but that only takes us 5 percent of the way," said Mr. Hagel. Mentioning it is good, but that doesn't move the ball."
Eduardo Aguirre, director of immigration services for the Department of Homeland Security, said the White House remained committed to its plan, but he acknowledged that the administration had yet to provide specific legislative guidance to Congress. Mr. Aguirre also said the White House was not ready to back other existing immigration bills.
"I don't think any one of those proposals meets exactly the president's initiative," Mr. Aguirre said of the various immigration plans proposed by Mr. Hagel and others. "But we're happy to engage and find common points of convergence."
"I certainly expect that action will be taken," Mr. Aguirre said. "Whether or not it's going to pass the Senate and the House, I'll leave it to you."
Mr. Bush hopes to revamp an immigration system widely viewed as broken and to re-establish his credentials as a compassionate conservative, particularly with Hispanic and swing voters. But his plan has been criticized by conservative Republicans, who have condemned it as an amnesty for lawbreakers.
At the hearing on Tuesday, several Republican senators who have expressed support for the president's immigration plan emphasized the need for prompt action. Mr. McCain cited the mounting deaths of illegal immigrants crossing the Mexican border into Arizona "to emphasize the urgency of this situation."
RACHEL L. SWARNS NY Times.
Mr. Bush made headlines in January with his proposal to grant temporary legal status to millions of illegal immigrants. But administration officials have yet to propose any specific legislation, and Republicans in Congress, who are deeply divided over the proposal, say it is unlikely that a major immigration bill will pass in this election year.
Administration officials told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing on Tuesday that the president was unlikely to back any other immigration bills pending in Congress, including bipartisan legislation intended to provide legal status to some illegal farm workers and certain groups of students.
Among those expressing frustration at the lack of progress were Senators Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, John McCain of Arizona and Larry E. Craig of Idaho, all Republicans, and Senators Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois and Barbara Boxer of California, all Democrats. They warned that the session would probably end without the passage of any significant immigration legislation unless prompt action was taken.
"This is an immense task for us, and it is going to require intense presidential leadership," Mr. Hagel told Bush administration officials at the hearing. "My question would be: What is the administration doing? What will the administration do to push this issue since you do not have your own proposal up here?"
"The president deserves credit for stepping forward, as I have said many times publicly, but that only takes us 5 percent of the way," said Mr. Hagel. Mentioning it is good, but that doesn't move the ball."
Eduardo Aguirre, director of immigration services for the Department of Homeland Security, said the White House remained committed to its plan, but he acknowledged that the administration had yet to provide specific legislative guidance to Congress. Mr. Aguirre also said the White House was not ready to back other existing immigration bills.
"I don't think any one of those proposals meets exactly the president's initiative," Mr. Aguirre said of the various immigration plans proposed by Mr. Hagel and others. "But we're happy to engage and find common points of convergence."
"I certainly expect that action will be taken," Mr. Aguirre said. "Whether or not it's going to pass the Senate and the House, I'll leave it to you."
Mr. Bush hopes to revamp an immigration system widely viewed as broken and to re-establish his credentials as a compassionate conservative, particularly with Hispanic and swing voters. But his plan has been criticized by conservative Republicans, who have condemned it as an amnesty for lawbreakers.
At the hearing on Tuesday, several Republican senators who have expressed support for the president's immigration plan emphasized the need for prompt action. Mr. McCain cited the mounting deaths of illegal immigrants crossing the Mexican border into Arizona "to emphasize the urgency of this situation."
RACHEL L. SWARNS NY Times.
