Immigration-Enforcement Bill Splits Democrats

House Democratic leaders worried about the November election want to thwart enforcement-only immigration legislation supported by colleagues in districts where immigration is a hot-button issue, a leading House liberal said Thursday. "People who are very committed to comprehensive reform but who are charged with the responsibility for the next elections think about Lou Dobbs and the power of this issue in different local election contests," said Howard Berman, D-Calif. Dobbs is a CNN anchor who advocates tough action against illegal immigration. He frequently criticizes the "comprehensive" approach, which would couple strict enforcement with a path to citizenship for the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. Speaking at an immigration-policy conference, Berman said leading House Democrats want to avoid a vote on legislation that would require employers nationwide to check the legal status of all workers with a federal verification system.