|
 "I'm supposed to do this in 30 seconds?" he joked, noting the
issue's complexity. While he was optimistic about long-term
prospects for dealing with border security and immigration, he said,
"between now and the end of this Congress, I'm a little less
sanguine about it."
It has been a question heard repeatedly by lawmakers this month in
"town hall" district meetings punctuated - and sometimes dominated -
by concerns and angry outbursts over immigration policy and the
crisis caused by a flood of child migrants at the southwestern
border in recent months.
Those summer town halls have provided lawmakers a first-hand glimpse
of growing discontent among Americans over U.S. immigration policy.
Seventy percent of Americans - including 86 percent of Republicans -
believe undocumented immigrants threaten traditional U.S. beliefs
and customs, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in
mid-July.
Those fears have been exacerbated by the recent wave of illegal
child migrants from Central America. An issue that had been
simmering is now hotting up as voters prepare to go to the polls in
congressional elections due in November.
The anger and frustration expressed in the town halls suggests there
will be a fierce debate when U.S. lawmakers return to Washington on
Sept. 8 and take up proposals to address a flood of child migrants
crossing the southwestern U.S. border.
While conservative anger has not approached the levels seen during
the healthcare debate in August 2009, when town halls across the
country were frequently disrupted, members of both parties have been
confronted on the issue.
From border states like Texas to less likely hot spots like Oregon,
Colorado, and New York, Democratic and Republican lawmakers have
heard a steady stream of questions and complaints from voters - most
pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration and some worried
about what they see as Washington's inaction.
"ANGER IS PALPABLE"
"I hear it everywhere I go," said Oregon Republican Greg Walden, who
travels the country in his role as chairman of the National
Republican Congressional Committee.
"The anger is palpable," Hensarling, a six-term conservative
congressman who is often identified by colleagues as a possible next
Speaker of the House, told Reuters.
Local media reported police were called to a meeting in Hollister,
California hosted by Democratic Rep. Sam Farr after an audience
member shouted at Farr and the crowd about the dangers posed by the
child migrants.
A town hall hosted by Democrat Jared Polis of Colorado featured
constituents shouting at Polis and each other, and applauding those
who contradicted him, on a range of issues, most prominently
immigration, a local newspaper said
"We've had seven town halls, and immigration is the number one issue
that comes up," Polis told Reuters.
A series of executive actions on immigration that President Barack
Obama plans to unveil next month could further intensify the debate.
The policy changes are likely to fuel Republican accusations that
Obama is overstepping his authority.
[to top of second column] |
"THERE'S A LOT OF FEAR"
Conservative concerns over immigration have been merging with
Republican worries about Obama's healthcare, economic and foreign
policies, Oregon lawmaker Walden said.
"It's morphed into something bigger than a debate over fixing our
broken immigration system - it's a piece of the overall sense that
things are on the wrong track in this country," he said.
Hensarling said "there's a lot of fear about that, about a president
who has a pen and a phone, but doesn't seem to have a copy of the
Constitution."
But Polis said even left-leaning voters are growing frustrated by
the lack of progress in Congress on a long-term policy fix. A
bipartisan June 2013 immigration reform bill that passed the Senate
has been stalled in the House.
Opinion polls show concerns about immigration extend to every region
of the country, although they are most acutely felt in the
southwestern states near the Mexican border.
Despite voter concerns, political strategists from both parties say
immigration is unlikely to be the deciding factor in any
battleground midterm congressional race. Republicans must pick up
six seats to reclaim control of the Senate in November, and are
heavily favored to pad their comfortable majority in the House of
Representatives.
Only three Republican Senate contenders - New Hampshire's Scott
Brown, Michigan's Terri Lynn Land, and Arkansas' Tom Cotton - have
run advertisements about immigration. Vulnerable incumbents have
largely avoided potentially controversial town halls that could
force them to answer tough questions on the topic.
National Democrats believe roughly two dozen House districts could
see immigration play a role in November’s result, and pundits
frequently point to Colorado’s competitive Senate race as the
likeliest immigration battleground.
But the candidates in that contest have sparred over other issues,
and Republican Cory Gardner earlier this month voted with a mostly
Democratic bloc not to repeal Obama’s 2012 measure providing a stay
of deportations to young undocumented migrants.
(Reporting by Gabriel Debenedetti in Dallas; Editing by John
Whitesides and Ross Colvin)
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