Bush Cabinet Defends Immigration Deal

WASHINGTON - Two Cabinet secretaries on Sunday promoted the White House's immigration deal with Congress and played down criticism it would reward people who illegally have entered the country.

"It's not amnesty. They're going to have to pay a penalty," Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said. "They're going to have to wait in line. They're going to have to undergo a criminal background check."

The compromise legislation championed by an improbable pairing of liberal and conservative lawmakers must first get through the Senate. Debate was scheduled to start Monday as Congress entered the week leading into its Memorial Day vacation.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said it could tie up the Senate for some time.

"It's got to go on for at least a couple of weeks to give everybody the opportunity in the Senate to feel like they've had their chance to offer amendments that they think would improve the bill," he said.

The bill would offer legal status to most of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants while also toughening border security.

But some conservatives have branded the proposal an "amnesty" program that would help people who crossed the border illegally. It also would mandate tougher workplace enforcement and provide for a guest worker program.

"What we've done is we've come up with a solution that doesn't allow these people to jump the line in terms of getting a green card," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "Everybody who has been on line waiting patiently gets ahead of them. They have to pay a penalty, similar to what you pay if you commit a misdemeanor, which is what this is under the existing state of the law."

Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, the lead Democratic negotiator, said the bill would create "a tough but fair path to citizenship" for millions of immigrants.

"The bill isn't exactly the way I would have written it, but it is a strong compromise and the best chance we will have to finally fix this broken system," he said in a statement distributed to reporters. "The price of inaction is too high."

Prospects of such a plan in the House are uncertain.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is not happy with how the compromise would treat families. It would impose tighter rules for green card eligibility for some relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

"We should try to fashion something that recognizes the reality of life," she said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

"There is no automatic path to green card. There is no automatic path to citizenship," Gutierrez said.

The president used his weekly radio address to herald the deal, which could prove a welcome second-term achievement to contrast with the unpopular war in Iraq.

Illegal immigrants could seek a "Z visa" and get on track toward permanent residency after paying fees and fine. Heads of households would have to return to their home countries first.

Guest workers would have to return to their home country after periods of two years. They could renew their visas twice, but would be required to leave for a year in between each time.

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, said the proposed legislation was a good start - "as close of being able to talk about this problem realistically as anything I have seen" - though the details will be difficult to work out.

"How the temporary worker program is going to be implemented, whether the border security measures are actually going to be installed," she said. "These are questions that need to be answered as the bill undergoes further consideration."

Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., who heads the House immigration reform caucus, said "the worst thing you can do if you try to control illegal immigration is reward 12 to 20 million illegal aliens with citizenship and permanent residency."

Yet he added, "I think it passes if big business is able to basically put the pressure on and say, `We give you Republicans a lot of money. We want you to deliver us a cheap vote.'"

Chertoff, Gutierrez, Napolitano and Bilbray appeared on "Late Edition" on CNN. Pelosi and McConnell were on "This Week" on ABC.