Supporters: Don't link immigration bill to Boston

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic supporters of a new immigration bill accused opponents Monday of trying to "exploit" the Boston Marathon bombings to hold up the legislation, sparking a testy exchange at a Senate hearing.

"I never said that! I never said that!" Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, interjected as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., a lead author of the bill, criticized "those who are pointing to what happened, the terrible tragedy in Boston, as a, I would say, excuse for not doing a bill or delaying it."

Schumer said he wasn't talking about Grassley, who said last week that the bombings, allegedly carried out by two immigrant brothers, raised question about gaps in the U.S. immigration system that should be examined in context of the new bill. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., banged his gavel to settle the proceedings.

The exchange came as the Judiciary Committee opened its second hearing on sweeping legislation to strengthen border security, allow tens of thousands of new high- and low-skilled workers into the country, require all employers to check their workers' legal status, and provide an eventual path to citizenship for 11 million immigrants now here illegally.

The obstacles to the legislation, released last week by a group of four Republican and four Democratic senators, were on stark display Monday. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called a path to citizenship "divisive" and said that "any bill that insists upon that jeopardizes the likelihood of passing any immigration reform bill."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said the border security piece of the bill "falls well short of the sponsors' aspiration to protect the borders and maintain U.S. sovereignty."

Republicans weren't the only ones to fault the legislation. Several Democrats expressed concerns over the exclusion of provisions to recognize gay marriages for immigration purposes.

As happened at the first hearing on the bill, on Friday, the Boston Marathon bombings colored the proceedings.

Some Democrats suggest that the true motive behind at least some voicing such concerns is to oppose immigration legislation. Leahy used part of his opening statement Monday to assert that opponents of immigration reform had begun "to exploit the Boston Marathon bombing."

"Let no one be so cruel as to try to use the heinous acts of these two young men last week to derail the dreams and futures of millions of hardworking people," Leahy said.

Grassley bridled at Leahy's comments, saying that when Leahy proposed gun legislation, "I didn't accuse you of using the Newtown killings as an excuse."
And Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., an author of the immigration bill who has strong ties to conservatives, disputed Leahy's comments. "I disagree with those who say that the terrorist attack in Boston has no bearing on the immigration debate.

Any immigration reform we pursue should make our country safer and more secure," Rubio said. "If there are flaws in our immigration system that were exposed by the attack in Boston, any immigration reform passed by Congress this year should address those flaws."