According to an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Congress are pushing bills that crack down on illegal immigration. In the House, conservative Democrats are asking party leaders to support the SAVE (Secure America with Verification and Enforcement) act, which would increase Border Patrol personnel by 8,000, train more state and local police to enforce immigration laws and require that all businesses, within four years, use a government program to verify the legal status of their employees.

Democrats are also looking for a "balanced" measure that deals with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. Party leaders are facing a difficult decision on the issue. A strong vote on border security could help some freshman Democrats keep their seats, and therefore, help Democrats retain control of the House, but an enforcement-only bill also could anger liberal Democrats and Hispanics.

According to reports, Republican supporters, meanwhile, are considering a procedural maneuver to force the bill to the floor.

In the Senate, Republicans have reportedly introduced at least 15 immigration enforcement bills: measures to make English the nation's official language; to prevent illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses; to deport immigrants convicted of drunk driving offenses; and to withhold federal money for cities that have so-called "sanctuary" policies that direct police and local officials not to check the immigration status of residents using city services.

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