House unit acts to bar quake aid for illegal immigrants : disaster: the $8. 6-billion amount brings no opposition. But rohrabacher-sponsored restrictions spur debate over who should get relief and how to pay for it.

WASHINGTON — The Clinton Administration’s $8.6-billion earthquake assistance package took the first step toward congressional approval Tuesday but only after a key committee amended the

measure to bar illegal immigrants from receiving housing grants and other longer-term emergency aid. Little opposition has arisen to the size of the emergency aid bill--which if approved

will be the largest in the nation’s history--but debate is growing in Congress over the contentious immigration issue as well as efforts to force budget cuts to pay for the assistance.

Passage of the amendment barring long-term assistance to illegal immigrants was hailed as a victory late Tuesday by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), who began advocating the

measure last week. “This is an important step forward in the acceptance of the fundamental principles I have advocated, which is that illegal aliens should not be eligible for the same

benefits as U.S. citizens,” said Rohrabacher, a longtime advocate of deporting illegal immigrants after they receive emergency medical aid. Despite the controversies, proponents remain

hopeful they can steer the measure to Clinton’s desk by the end of next week. It contains funds to provide rental assistance and temporary housing for those displaced by the Northridge

quake, loans for small businesses and homeowners, money to make public buildings more earthquake-proof, and aid to repair damaged freeways, schools, veterans hospitals and other public

structures. Spurred by California Republicans, the measure also appears destined to push the escalating debate over public benefits and illegal immigrants onto the national stage in the

coming days. After rancorous deliberations Tuesday, the powerful House Appropriations Committee adopted a modified version of a proposal by Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside) stipulating that no

benefits can go to anyone “when it is known to the federal entity or official to which the funds are made available that the individual is not lawfully within the United States.” The

measure would apply to aid dispensed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency--which coordinates government response to disasters and administers emergency aid--the Small Business

Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As amended, it explicitly states that undocumented residents would still be eligible for emergency shelter as well as

food, water, medical care and other “essential needs.” The vote was 38-12, with Democrats casting all the opposing votes. Renewed battles over the amendment are expected as the bill--which

passed Appropriations on a voice vote--moves through Congress. Some Democrats on the Appropriations panel claimed that Republicans were seeking to score political points at the expense of

illegal immigrants in desperate straits. But the issue deeply divided the Democrats themselves. Democratic Reps. Julian C. Dixon of Los Angeles and Esteban E. Torres of La Puente, both

longtime liberals, said they brokered the compromise in a pragmatic attempt to forestall more severe measures and avoid likely defeat on the House floor. Rohrabacher said the votes by

Democrats to limit earthquake aid to illegal immigrants--while given reluctantly--represent a new political reality. “The Democratic leadership may not have seen the light in terms of those

principles but they may have felt the (political) heat,” Rohrabacher said. He added that he was surprised by the approval of the amendment. “I didn’t believe that would be in the bill. I am

surprised (Democrats) have actually permitted it to succeed in committee.” Packard’s amendment said an individual would be denied benefits when it was “made known” to the government that the

person was in the United States illegally. The compromise amendment struck the word _ made, _ which some Democrats said would have raised the danger of third parties making allegations to

authorities about someone’s status. Their alternative also explicitly spelled out the range of emergency services to which illegal immigrants would remain entitled. Packard had simply

referred to “emergency medical assistance,” although he said he had intended to include a wider range of short-term aid. In a statement following the vote, Packard said illegal immigrants

should not receive aid they would not be receiving had there not been an earthquake. “It is my strong belief that the federal government ought to assist its taxpaying citizens first,”

Packard said. “Giving assistance to illegal immigrants who broke the law to enter this country undermines the integrity of our laws. Every dollar spent on illegal immigrants is a dollar

denied to taxpaying citizens.” Dixon noted that the measure does not require federal officials to ask about an applicant’s legal status. Nor, he said, would he expect agencies to do so.

Nevertheless, Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, angrily derided the proposal as “immigrant bashing” and mean-spirited and said it would lead to

discrimination against Latinos. Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.) complained: “It’s a sad day that we as Democrats are going to have this shoved down our throats.” Packard, who has vowed to propose a

similar amendment on each spending bill considered this year, responded: “My amendment simply says that illegal immigrants should not receive assistance they would not otherwise receive

just because there was an earthquake.” Dixon, who only hours earlier had vowed to oppose Packard’s effort, said the Appropriations fight foreshadows confrontations on an issue that is very

divisive for Democrats. Given the solid Republican support for the Packard amendment, he said he determined during a party caucus Tuesday that enough Democrats backed a limit on aid to

illegal immigrants to “represent the majority interests in the House.” Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills), advocates of other

measures to stem illegal immigration, both voiced support for Packard’s proposal in interviews. Feinstein said the federal government should not “be picking up long-term rent subsidies for

illegal immigrants.” Another leading restrictionist, Rohrabacher said late Tuesday that although the amendment was not as strongly worded as he would have liked, it accomplished what he set

out to do and he would not pursue his more restrictive proposal. “I took a lot of personal abuse” for wanting to restrict services provided to illegal immigrants, Rohrabacher said. “I really

do feel vindicated by this (vote).” But John Palacio, of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund in Orange County, said the bill sets a bad precedent for emergency situations.

“I think the reality of this is we have an economic crisis in this country. Whether they are Republican or Democrat, they need to blame somebody.” In Los Angeles, adoption of Packard’s

initiative also was condemned by immigrant advocate groups. And, on the streets, where relief agencies are struggling with day-to-day difficulties of aiding tens of thousands of quake

victims, the amendment raised the specter of further complications. “You’re asking us in an emergency situation to implement something that will probably be difficult at best, and

potentially disruptive,” said Joe Schuldiner, assistant secretary of HUD. “You’d like time to think about it, but, obviously, we’ll do what Congress wants.” Until the restrictions are passed

and implemented, Los Angeles city housing officials emphasized that they will continue with current policies of providing housing assistance regardless of legal status. “We don’t ask and

we’re not looking,” said Steve Rehahan, the city housing authority official who is overseeing distribution of HUD housing vouchers to quake victims. Elsewhere, there was immediate concern

that withdrawal of U.S. aid for illegal immigrants could shift large post-quake costs to city programs--notably a $2.5-million emergency housing grant program established after the temblor.

“It could increase the pressure on our program enormously,” said Barbara Zeidman, assistant general manager of the city Housing Preservation and Production Department. “And it threatens

(quake victims) with a more permanent form of homelessness.” Federal housing officials predicted that it would not be easy to discern who is a legal resident. Because it does not ask aid

applicants for proof of citizenship, FEMA has no record of the numbers of undocumented residents who seek aid, though some officials and legal aid groups maintain that the figures are

minimal. Also on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) called for a vote on whether to offset earthquake aid with reductions in spending in other areas--a move that could make it

more difficult to win passage of the money. In the House, Rep. Gary A. Condit (D-Ceres) joined a bipartisan group of four congressmen pushing for $7.13 billion in cuts to fund the quake aid

package. “We want to give all of the necessary aid to California earthquake victims as we did for the Midwestern flood and Florida hurricane, but there is no reason why we can’t pay for

that,” Condit said. After a Democratic caucus meeting, lawmakers said privately that they expect the Rules Committee today to incorporate the proposal into the aid bill. Administration

officials said that some of the proposed cuts--including trimming the federal work force by 252,000--are included in Clinton’s cost-cutting proposals. The Administration added to the

earthquake package nearly $1.2 billion in funds for peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia, Somalia and elsewhere as well as $750 million largely for additional costs of the Midwestern floods and

the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Staff writers Gebe Martinez in Orange County, Rich Connell and Carla Rivera in Los Angeles and Karen Tumulty in Washington contributed to this story. MORE TO

READ