Bush may cut deal on immigration

WASHINGTON -- On the eve of nationwide hearings that could determine the fate of his immigration bill, President Bush is signaling a new willingness to negotiate with House Republicans in an effort to revise the stalled legislation before Election Day.

Republicans both inside and outside the White House say Bush, who has long insisted on comprehensive reform, is now open to a so-called "enforcement-first" approach that would put new border security programs in place before creating a guest worker program or path to citizenship for people living in the United States illegally.

The shift is significant because Bush has repeatedly said he favors legislation like the Senate's immigration bill, which establishes border security, guest worker and citizenship programs all at once. The enforcement-first approach puts Bush one step closer to the House, where Republicans are demanding an enforcement-only measure.

In a sign of its willingness to negotiate, the White House last week invited a leading conservative proponent of an enforcement-first bill, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., to present his ideas to Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the Oval Office.

Wolff said the president found the Pence plan "pretty intriguing."

Bush has little choice but to negotiate, although he is on delicate terrain. Some House Republicans remain deeply opposed to even a guest worker program, and any move closer to the House could upset the delicate bipartisan compromise that enabled legislation to pass the Senate.

Polls show the public is deeply troubled by the problem of illegal immigration, and Bush, who has made the issue his domestic policy initiative, is eager for a victory on Capitol Hill. But a carefully constructed White House strategy to prod the House and Senate into compromise collapsed last month when skittish House Republicans opted for field hearings instead.

The House hearings begin today in Laredo, Texas, and San Diego and will continue throughout the summer. In the Senate, Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, will convene his committee today in Philadelphia.

The meetings will undoubtedly expose the deep Republican rift just as the elections draw near, and some say they are simply a way to stave off legislation until after November. Democrats, eager to pick up congressional seats, intend to use the hearings to drive home the idea that Republicans have failed to address illegal immigration, a tactic that could further complicate prospects for a bill before Election Day.