Is Pawlenty's plan for immigration aimed at a VP slot?

Gov. Tim Pawlenty waded back into the immigration debate Monday, reaffirming his concern with an issue that is heating up his party's presidential nomination contest and drawing complaints that his motives may be political.

Pawlenty outlined measures to crack down on illegal immigration, signing an executive order to allow some Minnesota law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration law for the first time, requiring new state employees and contractors to verify citizenship and ordering the review of millions of driver's license photos for possible duplication.

The governor also proposed -- again -- to reverse the so-called sanctuary laws that prevent local police from inquiring about residents' immigration status.

He said he'd cut state aid to municipalities that refuse.

"These are reasonable steps ... that can be made to stop illegal immigration," Pawlenty said at a standing-room-only press conference at the Capitol.

But immigrant leaders said the proposals, much like those offered two years ago, seemed more designed to bolster Pawlenty's conservative credentials than to halt illegal immigration.

"I think this has everything to do with the presidential race," said Javier Morillo, president of SCIU Local 26. "Immigration is the one issue John McCain has been clobbered on. If the governor is, as everyone speculates, looking to be McCain's vice president, he'll be the guy with credibility on immigration from the Republican perspective."

Illegal immigration has become a central issue in the GOP presidential race. McCain, who has authored so-called comprehensive immigration reform, has been accused by opponents of favoring a form of amnesty. He has recently increased his emphasis on strengthening border security.

Pawlenty has endorsed McCain and campaigned with him and is often mentioned as a possible running mate, although both McCain and Pawlenty say they have never discussed the possibility.

Late Monday, Brian McClung, Pawlenty's spokesman, called claims that the proposals were partly motivated by the presidential race "silly and refuted by the obvious facts."

"Governor Pawlenty has been a longtime proponent of cracking down on illegal immigration, dating back to his time in the Legislature," McClung said.

In addition to his executive order, Pawlenty resurrected several bills he proposed two years ago, including increased penalties for identification theft and more fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Immigrants are coming to Minnesota for jobs, the governor said, and one of the most effective places to stop them is at their workplaces.

Anti-immigration activists at the press conference said they supported the governor's efforts, but wished he'd come down harder.

"These are minimal steps," said Norm Buehler, of St. Paul, who said he belonged to a Minnesota organization fighting for immigration reduction. "They should have been done years ago."

The governor predicted that some of the less controversial measures, such as strengthening human trafficking laws and tougher penalties for identity theft, could see some movement at the Legislature this session. The sanctuary bill, however, would be much more difficult, he said.

DFLers criticized the plan.

"These are warmed-over proposals that couldn't pass the House of Representatives when it was controlled by the Republicans," said Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis. "Tomorrow is McCain's victory in New Hampshire: Perhaps the governor is sharpening his message for the national stage."

Law enforcement offered a mixed reaction. Harlan Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, said he supported tougher penalties for identification theft and aggravated forgery and the "scrubbing" of the driver's license photo files.

But St. Paul Police Department spokesman Tom Walsh said the governor's proposals imply incorrectly that police and immigration agents don't cooperate already. St. Paul police, he said, worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a major human trafficking raid earlier this year. Jean Hopfensperger • 651-298-1553