The President's efforts to court immigrant voters may have been dealt a blow by the recent appointments of Senator Saxby Chambliss and Representative John Hostettler to chair the Senate and House Immigration Subcommittees. The committees set the tone for the immigration debate in the country and both chairmen have decidedly anti-immigrant voting records.

Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss has been appointed to chair the Senate Immigration Subcommittee. The previous two Republican chairs, Sam Brownback of Kansas and the current Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham are generally considered to have been pro-immigration. Immigration advocates around the country have raised alarm bells regarding Chambliss' appointment particularly in light of Chambliss' voting record on immigration and prior statements made by Chambliss regarding Muslims.

Chambliss admits that during a November 2001 meeting with Georgia officials, he told his audience that to combat terrorism a Georgia sheriff could be turned loose to "arrest every Muslim that comes across the state line."

After the remarks, Arab and Muslim groups complained to House Speaker Dennis Hastert about then Congressman Saxby Chambliss. Chambliss claimed the remark was a joke and offered apologies to anyone offended by the remark.

Chambliss' voting record tends to be against immigration, though not always so. He voted against an extension of Section 245i of the Immigration and Nationality Act twice in the last two years, for example. But he also voted to raise the H-1B cap, has supported guest worker legislation and has voted in favor of a nurse visa.

Indiana Republican John Hostettler takes over the House Immigration Subcommittee this session. Hostettler's record is almost uniformly anti-immigrant. His record includes the following key votes:

- Voted against a 245i extension in 1997, 2001 and 2002

- Voted against raising the H-1B cap in 1998

- Voted to authorize troops on the border is 2000 and 2001

- Co-sponsored legislation in 2002 that would have placed a moratorium on issuing non-immigrant and immigrant visas

One of the only pro-immigration items in Hostettler's record is a vote in favor of a nurse visa in 1996.

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The Senate passed its appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The bill originally had cut the entry-exit system, but the measure was restored due to an amendment introduced by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ). Funding for the program is set at $80 million. The NSEERS special registration program was removed last week by an amendment offered by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and that program was still left unfunded in the bill passed by the Senate. The House must now pass its DHS legislation. It is not clear whether efforts to strip out NSEERS funding will succeed in that house and whether the funding would be restored when the bills are marked up in a conference committee comprised of members of both houses.

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To view our legislative chart, visit www.visalaw.com/advocacy.html