Two Faces of Immigration Debate

Representatives of groups engaged in the escalating national immigration debate jammed a House hearing room recently as lawmakers examined why employer sanctions had largely failed to deter illegal immigration and whether anything could be done to make them work.

On the left side of the rostrum sat Democratic Rep. Xavier Becerra, a freshman whose Los Angeles district is heavily Latino. On the right was Republican Rep. Elton Gallegly, whose views reflect those of his largely Anglo, conservative Ventura County electorate.

The Southern California lawmakers are both newcomers on the Judiciary subcommittee on international law, immigration and refugees. For each, winning a spot on the panel--hardly one of Capitol Hill’s coveted showcases--was a priority this term.

Both agree that illegal immigration is a problem and that the United States cannot afford to have open borders. And they concur that the growing backlash could threaten legal immigration.

But that’s about where their agreement ends.

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Gallegly, a fifth-generation American, prides himself in being one of the first officials to warn about the increasing costs of illegal immigration and the need to curb it. He is in the vanguard of those who blame the nation’s economic woes, in part, on the Mexicans, Salvadorans and Chinese illegally crossing U.S. borders.

The 35-year-old Becerra, who “wouldn’t be surprised” if his grandfather entered the United States illegally, has arrived in Washington from the state Assembly, determined to help reshape a debate that he says is not sensible. Becerra says the laws must be enforced but tends to focus on those that prohibit abuse of immigrants at the border and discrimination against Latinos and others.

“I’ll die defending them to have the basic human rights that anyone is entitled to,” Becerra said.

Gallegly and Becerra reflect the polarization on an issue that is as complex as it is volatile--mixing race, economics, civil rights and America’s national identity. They also illustrate the difficulty in bringing together the California congressional delegation on challenges facing the troubled state.

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Gallegly describes the problem as among the nation’s most serious: He says there are “at least 900,000 Americans displaced (by illegal immigrants) who would otherwise be working”; more than 1,100 illegal immigrants were arrested during the Los Angeles riots, and a recent report estimated that illegal immigrants cost taxpayers “a whopping $13.44 billion” in public assistance, education and lost wages in 1992. He calls it his crusade.

Becerra says that what has changed most in recent years is the prolonged economic downturn. He says immigrants are scapegoats for developments that have had a far greater financial impact, such as the savings and loan scandal and defense cutbacks.

For Gallegly, “illegal aliens” are “them”--those who take jobs from U.S. citizens, fill maternity wards and prisons, cash welfare checks and cost the treasury billions of dollars.

To Becerra, those here illegally are “we”--people who fled their homeland to seek opportunity for themselves and their children through menial, low-paying jobs spurned by most citizens. They usually pay income, sales and Social Security taxes. They may cost the government but, Becerra says, so do we all. He objects to the label illegal as stigmatizing and finds alien offensive; he prefers undocumented.

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The two reflected their conflicting approaches at last month’s hearing on employer sanctions--a cornerstone of the Immigration Reform Control Act of 1986.

Gallegly was among those who maintained that the sanctions had failed because it is so easy for illegal workers to obtain fraudulent documents. He touted his bill to create a tamper-resistant registration card, as well as calling for an increase in the size of the Border Patrol and denying social service benefits to those who are in the country illegally.

Becerra advocates better enforcement of wage-and-hour and workplace safety laws, which he said would discourage employers from exploiting vulnerable newcomers.

An identification card would sanction further discrimination, he said, because only those with “brown skin or slanted eyes” are likely to be asked to produce it.

Becerra, a Stanford-educated lawyer, has experienced the kind of racism that he says tinges the debate. His mail has included comments such as “beady-eyed Mexican go home” and “there are too many of you in elective office.”

Gallegly, a former Simi Valley mayor, meanwhile, has been accused of playing to Anglo anxieties for political gain. Noting the praise that freshman Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) received for advancing some similar proposals--albeit not the more controversial ones--that he has made for years, Gallegly fumed: “If a more liberal Democrat stands up and deals with this issue, that’s one thing. But if Elton Gallegly does it, some will say I’m racially motivated.”