Rep. Raúl Grijalva offered his opinions on immigration, the war, mining.

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Back in the Old Pueblo this past weekend to deliver the keynote speech at Saturday's foreclosure forum, U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva offered his take on national affairs and the current legislative session.

In a wide-ranging interview at his district headquarters, Grijalva, a Democrat whose district spans across Southwestern Arizona and includes much of the U.S.-Mexico border, offered his thoughts on the war in Iraq, the immigration debate and why the federal government should do more for homeowners facing foreclosure.

"You know, we did some things short term, giving FHA (Federal Housing Administration) more flexibility in terms of structuring loans. But now I think the debate is going to be about some comprehensive restructuring of federal oversight over some of these companies, and that's where we are going to have the big debate. . . . Part of the problem that happened was there was a predatory nature the way a lot of these loans got structured and got lent.

"An even bigger debate is what kind of infusion of resources can we put into FHA, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, in terms of (helping) existing families and, to some extent, lending institutions to restructure loans and to buy down interest so that people can keep their houses."

"At some point, the orderly and the expedient withdrawal of our troops is going to come back into the forefront. And I say that because it's not only the presidential campaigns, which will make that an issue, but quite frankly, people have kind of realized that there is no light at the end of this tunnel. . . . It's going to have to happen, and with the new administration, assuming that it is one that is talking about getting us out, I think that's when you'll see the process accelerate."

"I think it's going to be very difficult to pass anything. . . . We got two fights in the House. Derailing the SAVE Act (Secure America with Verification and Enforcement). It makes the REAL ID Act look like a walk in the park in terms of enforcement. It forces communities to enforce (federal) immigration laws, punishes communities that have sanctuary city status by taking away federal funds; it nationalizes employer sanctions. It's a really, really weird test for Democratic leadership because the primary author is a Democrat — Heath Shuler (of North Carolina).

"The second thing is there is a real push to lift the caps on guest workers' visas, and that has bipartisan support. You have almost the entire delegation, except me and U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.)."

"They will get a little extra time. I'm glad. The more time the better, because I think it gives us an opportunity to re-examine. . . . My legislation is still in there to withdraw the (Coronado) forest land from (new) mining claims; I'm pushing it along."

"We don't care what the template is, but Tumamoc has got to get included (in a proposed federal land swap with developer Don Diamond). We have met with the developer, and we have met with the county and all of the stakeholders in this thing."