The Business Journal of Phoenix

by Mike Sunnucks

The Business Journal

The Democrats' takeover of Congress and ouster of some immigration hawks such as Scottsdale Congressman J.D. Hayworth could clear the way for approval of comprehensive immigration changes. Those could include a guest worker program, more enforcement, stiffer penalties against employers who hire illegals and pathways to legal status for undocumented workers already in the U.S.

The biggest impediment to a guest worker program and other immigration reforms in Congress was the conservative Republican contingent such as Hayworth, who favors a security-first approach to the issue.

Hayworth lost on Tuesday to Democratic challenger Harry Mitchell, and the GOP got booted from its congressional majority by voters upset with the Iraq War, ethics scandals and the lack of progress on immigration.

President Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain, business groups and many Democrats, including Gov. Janet Napolitano, Mitchell and new Tucson Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, support a guest worker program and some type of legal status for the estimated 12 million illegals already in the U.S.

That could create enough consensus to enact a more comprehensive plan, said Farrell Quinlan, vice president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry.