Calif. Gov. Champions Immigration Reform before Hispanic Journalists

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the president's efforts to reform the nation's immigration laws and shared his experiences as a newcomer to the United States with Hispanic journalists gathered Monday for a convention.

The governor was introduced by Carole Hutton, executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News, who reminded participants in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention that Schwarzenegger garnered more Hispanic support at the polls than any other Republican governor.

This support came in spite of some seemingly anti-immigration blunders, such as the time Schwarzenegger praised the Minutemen border militia group on a talk radio show. He explained away some of these statements as slip-ups made by someone who hasn't always been in public service.

``When you're not brought up in public light, being a politician, you sometimes don't say things that are politically correct,'' he explained. ``Like when I said close the border, when I meant secure the border.''

He also discussed the federal immigration reform proposal, making it clear he felt the treatment of those entering the country was a federal, not a state, issue.

He vetoed bills that would have given illegal immigrants driver's licenses because he was waiting for federal action on the topic, and didn't favor a local, piecemeal approach, Schwarzenegger said.

On immigration reform, he aligned closely with President Bush, saying the country is facing the first real chance of reform in decades- an opportunity that might not come again for another 20 years. But he also said this doesn't mean the Senate's current proposal, which failed last week, should be pushed through without more thought.

``Right now the way it is written I wouldn't have signed it,'' he said. ``How do you enforce it? It needs to be worked on, to be fine tuned.''

This is a time to push politicians in Washington to find a compromise, to develop a bill that suits both parties and can be implemented, the governor said.

``We need to encourage them,'' he said. ``We're so close.''

The governor also said Spanish-speakers need to learn English, citing his own example as someone who came to the United States speaking only German.

He mentioned seeing Hispanics working around the state capital speaking only Spanish to each other. The governor said that perhaps by having so many Spanish-speaking peers, many Hispanics are not forced to learn English as quickly as other immigrant groups.

Pilar Marrero, the political editor for the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion, chuckled at the governor's statement.

``They're too busy working,'' she said.