Arizona's immigration law stirs debate on Capitol Hill

To no one's surprise, the outcry against Arizona's controversial immigration law has begun polarizing Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.




On the Sunday talk shows, Democrats called for a swift overhaul of the country's immigration policies, stating that the Arizona law underscores the need for comprehensive reform. Connecticut Sen Chris Dodd On Meet the Press:

The idea that state by state would start developing its own immigration laws in the country --imagine what a patchwork that might look like... It's demanding a national answer to immigration policy, so before this even gets further out of hand, we've got to step up and do the job.

Alabama GOP Sen Dick Shelby agreed, though he hedged on when the Congress might undertake such legislation. Republicans generally are opposed to the idea of national immigration reform on the grounds that "bad timing."



South Carolina Sen Lindsey Graham pulled out of bipartisan climate-change negotiations in the Senate, crying foul at Democrats for bringing up immigration reform. He claims Democrats plan to move the immigration bill ahead of the climate one, perhaps delaying the latter till next year, even though the unveiling of the Senate climate-change bill was scheduled for Monday. In a letter released by his office, Graham wrote:

Moving forward on immigration --in this hurried, panicked manner-- is nothing more than a cynical political ploy.

But Democrats charge that Graham's move is just as cynical: An attempt to protect longtime Senate friend John McCain who's in a fight for his political life in a tough primary battle against a far more conservative opponent, former congressman J-D Hayworth.

On Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the timing for dealing with immigration is off and that other issues are more pressing: "I think it's an important issue.... But of course, now we have a very high unemployment rate. I just don't think this is the right time to take up this issue."