By LANCE TARRANCE and LESLIE SANCHEZ

Published: Thursday, 03/30/06

Any Republican interested in becoming the next president will have to deal with the issue of illegal immigration — as it has now reached a critical mass. One potential contender, Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has set this week for his colleagues to take up legislation to toughen security on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Frist's plan is to take up legislation to secure the Southern border first, then later deal with the guest worker issue. In an effort to break the logjam, his strategy is to pacify all sides, one at a time. But, according to our research, he's got it wrong.

What America wants is comprehensive reform. They want both a reasonable guest-worker program that meets critical economic needs bundled with a physical barrier to control who and what moves over the U.S.-Mexico border. The consensus is there if the Congress and administration would discover it.

Recently, 12 focus groups were conducted on border security and immigration in four cities: Phoenix, Chicago, Nashville and San Antonio among Caucasian and Hispanics voters. This study, along with an RT Strategies national poll with an over-sample of Hispanics conducted February 23-26, refined our search for racial and gender differences on the issue of immigration reform. Every demographic group rejected the so-called "easy" answers such as mass deportations and heavy penalties for employers.

Policymakers are missing the fact that everyone's overriding concern is not social services or economic security; it's national security. Even when that anxiety is misplaced, as in the recent case of a company headquartered in the United Arab Emirates trying to win control of operations at six U.S. port facilities, national security trumps all else. This represents a seismic shift in our country's 40-year immigration debate.

One interesting point is that Hispanics, especially those living in border states, share those concerns about national security. For those Hispanics who say the fear of terrorism is their primary concern related to illegal immigration, 70% favored building a fence along the Southern border. Many Hispanics obviously know how easy it is to get illegal contraband or terrorists across a porous border, and they resist mild-mannered solutions that appear weak or ill-conceived.

Americans believe the U.S. government is not doing enough to combat the problem. Eight out of 10 respondents in the national poll said the U.S. government can do more to reduce illegal immigration significantly. But what?

Based on our findings, America will reject any immigration reform proposal that fails to keep America safe. Hispanics, meanwhile, say that a barrier alone is politically unacceptable. When asked whether they prefer a physical barrier, a guest worker program or both, a clear majority, 51%, support the combined approach; only 18% wanted the president's guest-worker program alone, and just 15% preferred the fence alone.

If border security means the flow of illegal immigrants will stop and the dangers of cross-border terrorism will be minimized, the American people would welcome a guest-worker program that meets the needs of the growing economy. Sen. Frist's piecemeal approach will not work.

We've been here before. In 1994, California's "Save Our State" initiative known as Proposition 187 to deny public benefits to illegal aliens and their children marked the last time America had anything close to a plebiscite on immigration reform. It passed with 59% of the vote but was eventually stopped by a federal court. California Republicans are still trying to undo the political damage it left behind. A majority of voters, as seen in nationwide surveys, viewed it as mean-spirited and misdirected.

With this history in mind, a fence-only approach could only antagonize Mexico without solving the problem and tar the Republicans as the anti-Hispanic party just as the "victory" on Proposition 187 did a decade ago.

The country wants a balanced approach to immigration reform, one that takes into account the economic value immigrants bring to America while taking appropriate steps to protect our homeland. A majority of Americans will not be satisfied by anything less than an integrated reform measure.

Published: Thursday, 03/30/06

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