East Texas

By ROY MAYNARD
Staff Writer

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn chided state lawmakers for attempting to tackle immigration issues, though he acknowledges that failures at the federal level have left people frustrated.

"Immigration is the federal government's responsibility, under our Constitution," Cornyn said following Tuesday's East Texas Immigration Summit. "Piecemeal approaches at the state level deal with only one aspect of the issue."

States that passed tougher immigration laws focus only on enforcement - not on the economic impact of losing an important portion of the work force, he said.

"Only the federal government has the authority to create a legal immigration system that provides employers with the workers they need," Cornyn said. "And this piecemeal approach is creating a lot of problems."

Cornyn was joined in a panel discussion by Congressman Ralph Hall, R-Rockwall, and Karl Rove, the former deputy chief of staff to President Bush. The summit was sponsored by Texas Employers for Immigration Reform.

Rove said there are an estimated eight to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States now.

"I know that scares a lot of people," Rove said. "People wonder if we'll wake up in the morning and not be America anymore."

But one out of 20 workers in America is here illegally, he said.

"If you think we can take 5 percent of our work force and throw them out, you're kidding yourself," Rove said. "We would suffer serious economic damage. There's a moral cost. There's a practical cost."

Hall agreed.

"I can't reward people for breaking our laws," Hall said. "But I can't punish them forever for trying to get a better life. That's what we've got to reconcile."

Bill Hammond, of the Texas Association of Business, also emphasized the need for comprehensive reform.

"It's essential to the economic future of Texas," Hammond said. "We believe in securing the border, but we believe the only way to do that is to allow enough legal immigration to meet the needs of the employers in the state. And we believe those who are here now need to be given the opportunity to obtain legal status."

But achieving a comprehensive solution won't be easy, Rove acknowledged - politics are in play.

"We need to be very careful about people's agendas," Rove said. "Some in the service industry said they want amnesty, when their real focus was on how to get more union members who can vote in American elections. We need to blow the whistle on these guys who have a private agenda."

Cornyn called for a "cooling down" of the rhetoric surrounding the issue.

"One thing we need to agree on is we need to have a sensible and civil discussion," he said. "We need to look at this as a tough problem, but one we must solve. The only way we can solve it is by coming together and reasoning. It's not going to be solved by some smart person in D.C. It won't be done until we achieve a consensus."

Hall said the time to start working toward a solution is now.

"We need to go to work day and night to solve this," Hall said. "The people want immigration reform, and if we fail, they'll empty out Washington."

CONCERNED ATTENDEES: Audience members listen to Texas Rep. Ralph Hall at the Texans for Immigration Reform meeting at the TASCA Center on Tuesday.
((Staff Photo By Herb Nygren Jr.))