Arnold faces test on immigration

California, with the nation’s largest illegal-immigrant population, will soon be governed by a man who opposes issuing driver’s licenses to such aliens but supports granting them in-state tuition rates and favors a broad amnesty.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won last week’s recall election and will be sworn in after the votes are certified, has indicated he will be active on the issues at the state and federal level.

“When it comes to foreign workers, to undocumented immigrants, I will make sure that if you’re going to work in that direction, it’s one of the things that I will be talking about with the federal government,” he said in his postelection news conference.

Several lawmakers in Congress, including Reps. Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, both Arizona Republicans, have urged Mr. Schwarzenegger to use his position to push for a federal legalization program. And Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates immigration limits, said that Mr. Schwarzenegger is now a substantial figure in the immigration debate.

“There’s two kinds of things he can do: actually change a state policy on the one hand, and try to influence federal policy on the other,” Mr. Krikorian said.

“If the new celebrity movie-star governor of California testifies at a congressional hearing or speaks at news conferences … that amnesty is a good idea, that can have a very powerful, harmful effect in lending weight to the arguments for amnesty,” he said.

Mr. Schwarzenegger, an immigrant himself, has spoken about the opportunities he received, and Mr. Krikorian said the new governor might be a powerful advocate for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities for illegal immigrants.

Some observers said they expect Mr. Schwarzenegger to seek a middle-ground approach to immigration.

“I expect Arnold to do with the illegal-immigration issue exactly what he’s done with all the other contentious issues — that’s to go right down the center,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican, who supports stricter immigration controls.

“He will be going much further towards normalizing illegal immigrants’ status in the United States than those of us on the other side of the issue. But he will not be going as far as the Democratic Party,” Mr. Rohrabacher said.

“He’s the governor. All I know is he’s more approachable and will be better on this issue than if Gray Davis or [Cruz] Bustamante remained,” he said, referring to the outgoing governor and the lieutenant governor, respectively.

Those on the other side of the issue said they are waiting to see what Mr. Schwarzenegger does.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, California Democrat and member of the House immigration subcommittee, said Mr. Schwarzenegger’s stance on immigration remains a mystery.

“On this issue, as with most issues, he didn’t really establish a policy during the campaign,” she said.

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