Border Trade Alliance

In the span of one week Congress put to rest one contentious issue, Mexican trucks, and began debate on another, immigration reform.

Last week President Bush signed the Emergency Iraq and Hurricane Supplemental Appropriations into law. Enacted as part of this legislation were several restrictions on the proposed U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) pilot program to allow a limited number of Mexican trucks to operate on U.S. roadways. Despite the new requirements the pilot program will be allowed to proceed. However the restrictions, similar to those passed by the House several weeks ago, mandate that DOT publish for comment in the Federal Register rules on safety as well as establishing and enforcing penalties for non-compliant pilot participants. The legislation also mandates that DOT’s Office of the Inspector General monitor, evaluate and report its findings on the program to Congress during and after the completion of the pilot.

The Senate debate over comprehensive immigration reform spilled outside of the deliberative chamber with critics from all sides of the political spectrum emerging in opposition to the measure. The bill’s supporters also cross party lines. President Bush and Senator Ted Kennedy are among the bill’s most vocal advocates. While the diversity of the bill’s detractors present a significant challenge for its passage, the legislation’s equally varied group of backers gives comprehensive immigration reform a decent chance of emerging from Congress. The first hurdle is passage by the Senate, which resumes debate next week after breaking for the Memorial Day recess.

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