Pelosi lays out criticism of immigration bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday laid out her criticism of the immigration compromise introduced in the Senate, calling the temporary worker program “disruptive of families.”

{mosads}“I have serious objection to the point system that is in the bill now,” the speaker said on ABC’s This Week. “Yes, we should deal with the backlog [of workers seeking citizenship]. I completely agree with that. But the family unification principles which had been fundamental to American immigration are disrupted by what is in there now.”

The point system Pelosi refers to would grant those seeking citizenship points based on English proficiency, work history, family status and passing a criminal background check.

“We're about families and family values,” Pelosi added. “And having people coming and going, taking their children out of school and being separated from them – we should try to fashion something that recognizes the reality of life.”

Pelosi’s concerns could have a significant impact on the success of the legislation as the House takes up the bill. Any significant tinkering with the legislation in the House could spell disaster for the fragile bipartisan coalition supporting the bill in the Senate.

Pelosi also addressed the conservative criticism that the bill amounts to amnesty for illegal immigrants.

“No one is for amnesty,” she said. “And there’s nothing in this bill that is about amnesty.”