Senators, evangelicals embrace immigration reform

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) joined a group of Democratic senators and evangelical leaders in calling for action on so-called comprehensive immigration reform.

Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), along with Graham, all argued that the immigration issue, which they said should include some sort of guest-worker program, is a moral one.
Graham said the country has broken borders, and when it comes to addressing illegal immigration, a broken Congress.
“But I see hope,” Graham said.

Kennedy said he is confident there will be discussion of a reform package that contains a guest-worker program, adding this could “hopefully” begin within the next work period.

On issues like border security and enforcement, Kennedy said Democrats and Republicans had reached “broad agreement.”
Few would dispute, though, that there continue to exist a number of contentious points of disagreement.

The bipartisan group of senators was joined by the House sponsors of immigration reform introduced last week, Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).

The lawmakers were also flanked by a group of Hispanic evangelical leaders and Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Church.