EQUITY GOES SOUTH IN BORDER-CHECK PLAN

Proposals Call For Stricter Enforcement At The Mexican Border Than At The
Canadian Line, And Would Split The INS.

WASHINGTON — Measures to dismantle the Immigration and Naturalization
Service and to require identity checks at the Mexican — but not the
Canadian — border are among the last-minute items being dumped into a giant
spending bill that stands between Congress and adjournment.

The border measure is racist, say a key lawmaker and some in Orange County
who regularly drive to Mexico.

"It's discrimination," said Santa Ana resident Manual Villagomez, 18, who
travels to Mexico every three months. "People are just tired of Mexicans
coming over to get jobs," he said.

The two proposals are linked under a deal being struck between Rep. Harold
Rogers, R-Ky., chairman of the House subcommittee that funds the INS, and
Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich., chairman of the Senate subcommittee on
immigration.

Rogers, a longtime INS critic, wants to create a separate bureau of
immigration enforcement under the Justice Department, with the same
standing as the FBI.

Abraham has been talking about reforming the INS since the day he became
subcommittee chairman.

But Abraham spokesman Joe McMonigle said the plan was to attack this
problem next year.

"This is probably very close to where we would end up anyway," McMonigle
said. "We would have liked the process to be different."

Abraham also wants to make sure the northern border is free of the delays
inherent in border checks. But part of the deal is to implement such checks
— which were part of the 1996 immigration reform act — along the Mexican
border a year from now.

"If true, that wouldn't make sense because on its face it is clearly a
racist policy," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House
subcommittee on immigration, about checking the Mexican but not Canadian
crossers.

But Rep. Ron Packard, R-Oceanside, who represents parts of both San Diego
and Orange counties, said he'd oppose any effort to gut the identity-check
portion of the 1996 immigration bill.

"We think it's very important that we have strict immigration procedures at
our borders to make certain that only legal people come across," Packard said.

He also objects to any "double standard — one for Mexico and one for the
northern border."

Immigration advocates immediately assailed Rogers' INS bill, saying it
doesn't say how the service arm of the agency — the part that helps people
become citizens — would operate or be funded.

"Hasty overhaul of the current immigration system without constructive
consultation would throw the INS into chaos for years to come," said Jimmy
Wu, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

The border-identity issue also has business leaders concerned.

Ford spokesman Bill Jamieson, based in Detroit, said that unless the bill
is implemented in the correct way, it could create all sorts of nightmares.
He said further restriction of border traffic is not the way to do business
in a free-trade zone.

"It will be a logjam," Jamieson said. "People would be incredibly
inconvenienced and traffic would be prohibitive."

But Bill Sharp, president of Newport Beach-based Katin Swimwear, said he
did not think the restriction would have much effect because most of his
trucks travel through industrial points of entry and exit.

"Its hard to imagine that it will dramatically increase waiting times for
truckers or have much of an economic impact," Sharp said.

Packard believes recent improvements along the border will help.

"We've pushed hard and in many instances have gotten electronic equipment
and modernization of our border crossings designed to reduce backups and
delays. That's the best answer, not to weaken our border-crossing laws."

Even occasional travelers over the border say any delay would make a bad
situation worse.

"Going to Mexico is already such a hassle," said Pablo Huapaya, 22, of
Santa Ana. "It'll just make it worse. The border guards always think I am
Mexican, but I'm not. I'm Indian, and they always give me a hard time
asking why I am coming into the U.S."

Checked-by: Patrick Henry