Conservative opponents pounced on news that the two suspects are ethnic Chechens. | REUTERS Terrorism enters immigration debate

Immigration reform faces a new hurdle — the Boston terrorist attack.

Conservative opponents pounced on news Friday that the two suspects in the case, Muslim brothers and ethnic Chechens, are believed to be legal permanent residents.


Key immigration negotiators swiftly moved into damage-control mode, trying to prevent the terrorist attack in Boston from becoming a flashpoint in the debate on a bill that already faces an uphill battle in Congress.

“We appreciate this opportunity to talk about immigration reform in light of all that has been happening in Massachusetts,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee Friday at an immigration reform hearing.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter also seized on the manhunt.

“It’s too bad Suspect #1 won’t be able to be legalized by Marco Rubio, now,” Coulter tweeted.

Key immigration reform negotiators tried to tamp down the efforts to link the events to the debate.

A spokesman for Sen. Marco Rubio, Alex Conant, released a statement Friday afternoon.

“There are legitimate policy questions to ask and answer about what role our immigration system played, if any, in what happened,” Conant said. “Regardless of the circumstances in Boston, immigration reform that strengthens our borders and gives us a better accounting of who is in our country and why will improve our national security. Americans will reject any attempt to tie the losers responsible for the attacks in Boston with the millions of law-abiding immigrants currently living in the US and those hoping to immigrate here in the future.”

Another key immigration negotiator, Sen. Chuck Schumer, went on offense, too.

“I’d like to ask that all of us not jump to conclusions regarding the events in Boston, not conflate those events with this legislation,” Schumer said.

“In general we are a safer country when law enforcement knows who is here, has their finger prints, photos, etc., conducted background checks.”

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart told the Miami Herald Grassley should hold his fire.

“Linking something like that to other legislation I think is probably no appropriate at this time. In the first place, we don’t have the facts. And what is indisputable, is that we have an immigration system that is broken; that we have an immigration system that is not working.”

The Senate just began debate on an immigration reform package that would increase border security, create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants and increase the number of visas for low and high-skilled workers.

The comprehensive package was negotiated by a bipartisan Gang of Eight senators, who hope now to get a broad swath of the Senate to vote for it, making it harder for House Republicans to reject it off hand.

The suspects have been identified by a law enforcement official as 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is still at large, and 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was shot and killed by police. The brothers allegedly held up a 7-11, shot and killed an MIT police officer and also engaged in a carjacking.

NBC has reported that the two are “legal permanent residents” who are believed to have lived in the U.S. since 2002 or 2003 after coming to the country with their family.

That news prompted conservative critics to drag the events in Boston into the immigration debate.

Grassley and Coulter aren’t the only conservatives to tie immigration reform to what’s happening in Boston.

Rep. Steve King and conservative radio host Laura Ingraham also tied the two earlier this week.

Lawmakers like Sen. Mike Lee said he was unsure of how it would affect how the Senate considers immigration reform.

“I’m not sure. I’m not sure that it will. There is always that possibility,” the Utah Republican said. “But one way or another this is an issue that has far predated the tragedies of this week and will still be here long after this week. So bottom line is I’m not sure. But one way or another the problems we face because our immigration system isn’t working are still going to be there.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), meanwhile, said that it’s important to look beyond individual incidents.

“If we change the policies of this country every time something happens, whether it is Oklahoma City, 9-11, this, we’re never going to do anything,” he said. “We should think about where are the best policies for the U.S. and use those.”

Immigration reform proponents said the attacks show how desperate the far-right is to stop the bill.

“It’s outrageous that a senator would try to exploit an ongoing terror situation in a major U.S. city for partisan political purposes,” said Frank Sharry of America’s voice. “The facts aren’t even clear… It was just shameless demagoguery trying to connect what’s happening in Boston with a long overdue immigration reform bill.”

—Manu Raju contributed to this report.

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