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By Mary M. Shaffrey
JOURNAL WASHINGTON BUREAU

Several members of North Carolina's congressional delegation gave a lukewarm reception to President Bush's speech last night on immigration reform.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5th, said she thought that in some ways he gave "an excellent speech" but was disappointed in many things he did say - and even some things he didn't.

"I would like to have had the president say English should be the official language," she said, adding that although he talked about the importance of English proficiency, he did not go far enough for her.

She also disagreed with his assertion that providing a means for citizenship to some illegal immigrants was not amnesty. "The definition of amnesty to me is letting people get on a pathway to citizenship who are here illegally," she said.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-10th, agreed.

Like Foxx, he opposes any plan that would offer illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship without requiring them to go to their home countries first.

"I respectfully disagree with his push for an offer of amnesty for guest workers," he said. "A guest-worker program is just amnesty, wearing makeup."

John Dinan, a professor of political science at Wake Forest University, said that Bush's biggest test was to convince conservatives that he is committed to securing the border. "He heavily weighted his comments addressing the concerns of these folks, so there is now a pretty good chance that a Senate bill will come together," he said.

The Senate began debating a comprehensive immigration bill yesterday. It's expected to vote on a final version before May 26.

North Carolina's two senators were unavailable for comment last night after the speech, but their offices released statements praising Bush's remarks on tightening border security.

"Securing our borders must be the centerpiece of any immigration reform. This is critical to winning the war on terror and ensuring the safety of all Americans," said Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., echoed similar thoughts, although he cautioned that Bush's plan to place 6,000 more National Guard troops along the border was not a permanent fix.

"Securing our border should be our first step toward comprehensive immigration reform, and we should commit resources to do so. The National Guard can provide assistance to our border-security effort, but it is a short-term fix for a much larger problem," he said.

Neither statement referenced Bush's calls for a guest-worker program, a biometrics card for identification purposes or any other aspect of the speech, aside from border security.

Not all members of the delegation watched the speech.

Rep. Mel Watt, D-12th, was on a flight from Charlotte to Washington, and was going to be briefed on the speech after he arrived, said his press secretary, Chris Johnson. Rep. Howard Coble, R-6th, had a prior commitment, said his chief of staff Ed McDonald.

Should the Senate pass a program allowing illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship, its prospects in the House are unclear. The chamber passed an enforcement-only bill in December, and both Foxx and McHenry said they would oppose any conference report that included any provision they considered to be amnesty.