Nevadans express concerns about deal

WASHINGTON — Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., criticized the immigration deal announced Thursday by key senators and President Bush, and other members of the Nevada congressional delegation expressed reservations about the agreement.

Heller, who has called immigration the most important issue in his district, dismissed the agreement as an amnesty proposal by Bush and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

“A quick review of the initial language indicates this is nothing more than repackaged amnesty from the last Congress,” Heller said in a statement.

“Creating additional government programs to mask our country’s very serious immigration problems does not make any sense when we are not enforcing the laws that already exist,” Heller said.

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said he opposes amnesty but supports a temporary guest worker program.

Employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants should be penalized, Porter said.

“But I want to be sure that businesses have the tools they need when hiring to be able to tell if a job applicant is undocumented,” Porter said.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said she is reviewing the immigration agreement to see if it is compatible with a House bill she is supporting.

“We need to get control of our borders and to stop new illegal immigration,” Berkley said in a statement.

“We also need a system that addresses those who are in this nation now illegally by creating a means for individuals to be able to earn the chance to apply for U.S. citizenship should they meet strict requirements,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., welcomed the agreement, but he described it as “a starting point” that needs to be improved by the legislative process. Reid said debate on the bill would begin Monday.

“I have some serious concerns about some aspects of this proposal, including the structure for the temporary worker program and undue limitations on family immigration,” Reid said in a statement.

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said “the current system is broken,” and he hoped the agreement is good for America.