Cannon says he is no fan of amnesty

Opponent says otherwise; group offers to decide

Does U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon support amnesty for the estimated 9 to 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the nation? The Utah Republican says he does not.

Matt Throckmorton, Cannon's opponent in a June 22 primary in the 3rd Congressional District, says he doesn't support any form of amnesty, but he says Cannon does.

The Washington-based pro-borders group ProjectUSA has issued a challenge to both candidates to allow an unbiased arbitration group into the debate. Craig Nelsen, ProjectUSA director, wants the National Arbitration Forum to create a panel of impartial lawyers from across the country to evaluate immigration legislation Cannon supports and decide whether it fits the legal definition of amnesty.

The catch: Nelsen asked both candidates to accept the panel's decision.

Throckmorton said he'd likely accept the invitation; Cannon said he would not.

The key piece of legislation in question is Cannon's proposal to reform the nation's agricultural guest worker program, which he says will streamline the process for would-be immigrants applying to work in the United States.

The bill, pending before Congress, would also give some undocumented agricultural workers already here the ability to apply for temporary visas, and eventually permanent residence.

While ProjectUSA's director Craig Nelsen says the forum would be unbiased, he admits his group does have a clear public agenda — to end illegal immigration and reduce legal immigration to what it calls sustainable levels.

ProjectUSA has sponsored billboards in Utah County that say Cannon supports amnesty, and Nelsen has discussed the issue on local radio talk shows.

Cannon spokeswoman Meghan Riding called the Project USA proposition a "clever bit of theatrics." She said Cannon's bills are available on the Internet, "where folks can read them, contact us if they have questions and make their own decisions."

Throckmorton said Cannon's bill is just one step in what he sees as an attempt to provide blanket amnesty through various pieces of legislation.

"Chris Cannon's initiative is meant to take care of those who are already here, it offers a blanket amnesty program . . . and nothing to solve the long-term problem," he said.

Black's Law Dictionary defines amnesty in part as "a pardon extended by the government to a group or class of persons, usu. for a political offense . . ."

It says the "1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act provided amnesty for undocumented aliens already present in the country."

Throckmorton equates Cannon's immigration proposals to the 1986 amnesty, which allowed those who entered the country illegally before 1982, to apply for legal status.

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