Posted on 12/17/2004 8:33:59 AM PST by jveritas
On illegal immigration it's impossible to do too much Bush bashing. He's one major incident away from being exposed for all-time for his failure to let terrorists walk into this country. He may be able to hold his breath for another 4 years, I hope so.
Swing oversaw the Border patrol, and organized state and local officials along with the police. The object of his intense border enforcement were "illegal aliens," but common practice of Operation Wetback focused on Mexicans in general. The police swarmed through Mexican American barrios throughout the southeastern states. Some Mexicans, fearful of the potential violence of this militarization, fled back south across the border. In 1954, the agents discovered over 1 million illegal immigrants.
In some cases, illegal immigrants were deported along with their American-born children, who were by law U.S. citizens. The agents used a wide brush in their criteria for interrogating potential aliens. They adopted the practice of stopping "Mexican-looking" citizens on the street and asking for identification. This practice incited and angered many U.S. citizens who were of Mexican American descent. Opponents in both the United States and Mexico complained of "police-state" methods, and Operation Wetback was abandoned.
Now what we need is operation M 91 U2 K that requires 45 millions officers to deport 15 million illegal immigrants, and only few hundred billion dollars.
I am sure you know few illegal immigrants in California and my question to you is "did you call the INS to deport them?".
Bush has said about a paragraph and a half on this subject. He, nor his staff have written a proposal.
What you are reading is a compendium of past proposals mixed with some studies and some Congressional rhetoric that has not ever been voted on or looked at by committee..
There is no Bush Proposal in writing, as of this date. Bush did what president do, he led by a verbal proposal to congress. Congress has yet to put anything together that he could even come close to signing.
Hence, no Bush proposal.
No, congress has shut off the debate. Bush has no choice but to increment this through small pieces of legislation, starting with border security, ID's and a beefed up data base.
Next, I would look for regulations on businesses and a attempt to garner control of the underground economy through banking and other regulations.
It would have been nice to do this at one time, but the whiners and constant complaints about liberty and freedoms eroding have now joined forces with the concerned conservative on the immigration issue.
Have you not noticed? All the riff raff on the planet is all over this issue and now claim to be anti-illegal immigration.
What they really are is very worried that government is going to make life much more difficult for them for a variety of reasons.
There is no Bush proposal, but there will be a Bush immigration reform over the next four years. Whether they like it or not, it is coming.
RE: "[Problem solved] if we legalize the illegal immigrants who are already here and prevent new waves of illegal immigrants from coming across the borders."
"prevent new waves of illegal immigrants"
That is the essence. We have laws now that were suppose to "prevent new waves of illegal immigrants." There was no will to enforce the old laws by this or any administration in decades.
I believe that Eisenhower was the last administration to do anything substantive. (Seriously) We had guest workers (the Bracero program) yet they kept coming ILLEGALLY but in such relatively small numbers that few of us cared. But in the old days we were still a nation of laws not men. Yes, we had courts and loopholes in those days.
I sure hope that some thread in the future I could get a response -- pro or con -- about economic diaspora and New Democrat / conservative "free trader" globalization -- IMO that is why neither Party will acknowledge opposition to "cheap" labor migration. It's bigger than any "guest worker" plan.
"My point about the billions of dollars cost is how to deport millions of illegal immigrants as some on FR want to happen. If you need to send three law enforcement agents to arrest one illegal immigrant, then you do the Math on how much it will cost, just for the phase of arresting him or her."
Hoe many cops does it take to arrest a car thief or burglar? Which other crimes will you write off as "too expensive" to enforce? Or is it only those too cheap to hire Americans and too lazy to mow their own lawns who get your special dispensation?
If we put a Real Conservative incharge of ICE and the Border Patrol we can have another OPertation Wetback, and it wouldnt require 45 million officers. Your numbers are BS!
All it would take are a couple thousand of good hardworking no nonsense cops to get the job done. Do you have a problem with illegals being deported other than the BS cost you give?
He's given speeches on the subject. Here's one:
President Bush Proposes New Temporary Worker Program
President Bush Proposes New Temporary Worker Program Remarks by the President on Immigration Policy
The East Room
Fact Sheet
2:45 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming, thanks for the warm welcome, thanks for joining me as I make this important announcement -- an announcement that I believe will make America a more compassionate and more humane and stronger country.
I appreciate members of my Cabinet who have joined me today, starting with our Secretary of State, Colin Powell. (Applause.) I'm honored that our Attorney General, John Ashcroft, has joined us. (Applause.) Secretary of Commerce, Don Evans. (Applause.) Secretary Tom Ridge, of the Department of Homeland Security. (Applause.) El Embajador of Mexico, Tony Garza. (Applause.) I thank all the other members of my administration who have joined us today.
I appreciate the members of Congress who have taken time to come: Senator Larry Craig, Congressman Chris Cannon, and Congressman Jeff Flake. I'm honored you all have joined us, thank you for coming.
I appreciate the members of citizen groups who have joined us today. Chairman of the Hispanic Alliance for Progress, Manny Lujan. Gil Moreno, the President and CEO of the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans. Roberto De Posada, the President of the Latino Coalition. And Hector Flores, the President of LULAC.
Thank you all for joining us. (Applause.)
Many of you here today are Americans by choice, and you have followed in the path of millions. And over the generations we have received energetic, ambitious, optimistic people from every part of the world. By tradition and conviction, our country is a welcoming society. America is a stronger and better nation because of the hard work and the faith and entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants.
Every generation of immigrants has reaffirmed the wisdom of remaining open to the talents and dreams of the world. And every generation of immigrants has reaffirmed our ability to assimilate newcomers -- which is one of the defining strengths of our country.
During one great period of immigration -- between 1891 and 1920 -- our nation received some 18 million men, women and children from other nations. The hard work of these immigrants helped make our economy the largest in the world. The children of immigrants put on the uniform and helped to liberate the lands of their ancestors. One of the primary reasons America became a great power in the 20th century is because we welcomed the talent and the character and the patriotism of immigrant families.
The contributions of immigrants to America continue. About 14 percent of our nation's civilian workforce is foreign-born. Most begin their working lives in America by taking hard jobs and clocking long hours in important industries. Many immigrants also start businesses, taking the familiar path from hired labor to ownership.
As a Texan, I have known many immigrant families, mainly from Mexico, and I have seen what they add to our country. They bring to America the values of faith in God, love of family, hard work and self reliance -- the values that made us a great nation to begin with. We've all seen those values in action, through the service and sacrifice of more than 35,000 foreign-born men and women currently on active duty in the United States military. One of them is Master Gunnery Sergeant Guadalupe Denogean, an immigrant from Mexico who has served in the Marine Corps for 25 years and counting. Last year, I was honored and proud to witness Sergeant Denogean take the oath of citizenship in a hospital where he was recovering from wounds he received in Iraq. I'm honored to be his Commander-in-Chief, I'm proud to call him a fellow American. (Applause.)
As a nation that values immigration, and depends on immigration, we should have immigration laws that work and make us proud. Yet today we do not. Instead, we see many employers turning to the illegal labor market. We see millions of hard-working men and women condemned to fear and insecurity in a massive, undocumented economy. Illegal entry across our borders makes more difficult the urgent task of securing the homeland. The system is not working. Our nation needs an immigration system that serves the American economy, and reflects the American Dream.
Reform must begin by confronting a basic fact of life and economics: some of the jobs being generated in America's growing economy are jobs American citizens are not filling. Yet these jobs represent a tremendous opportunity for workers from abroad who want to work and fulfill their duties as a husband or a wife, a son or a daughter.
Their search for a better life is one of the most basic desires of human beings. Many undocumented workers have walked mile after mile, through the heat of the day and the cold of the night. Some have risked their lives in dangerous desert border crossings, or entrusted their lives to the brutal rings of heartless human smugglers. Workers who seek only to earn a living end up in the shadows of American life -- fearful, often abused and exploited. When they are victimized by crime, they are afraid to call the police, or seek recourse in the legal system. They are cut off from their families far away, fearing if they leave our country to visit relatives back home, they might never be able to return to their jobs.
The situation I described is wrong. It is not the American way. Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs that Americans have are not filling. (Applause.) We must make our immigration laws more rational, and more humane. And I believe we can do so without jeopardizing the livelihoods of American citizens.
Our reforms should be guided by a few basic principles. First, America must control its borders. Following the attacks of September the 11th, 2001, this duty of the federal government has become even more urgent. And we're fulfilling that duty.
For the first time in our history, we have consolidated all border agencies under one roof to make sure they share information and the work is more effective. We're matching all visa applicants against an expanded screening list to identify terrorists and criminals and immigration violators. This month, we have begun using advanced technology to better record and track aliens who enter our country -- and to make sure they leave as scheduled. We have deployed new gamma and x-ray systems to scan cargo and containers and shipments at ports of entry to America. We have significantly expanded the Border Patrol -- with more than a thousand new agents on the borders, and 40 percent greater funding over the last two years. We're working closely with the Canadian and Mexican governments to increase border security. America is acting on a basic belief: our borders should be open to legal travel and honest trade; our borders should be shut and barred tight to criminals, to drug traders, to drug traffickers and to criminals, and to terrorists.
Second, new immigration laws should serve the economic needs of our country. If an American employer is offering a job that American citizens are not willing to take, we ought to welcome into our country a person who will fill that job.
Third, we should not give unfair rewards to illegal immigrants in the citizenship process or disadvantage those who came here lawfully, or hope to do so.
Fourth, new laws should provide incentives for temporary, foreign workers to return permanently to their home countries after their period of work in the United States has expired.
Today, I ask the Congress to join me in passing new immigration laws that reflect these principles, that meet America's economic needs, and live up to our highest ideals. (Applause.)
I propose a new temporary worker program that will match willing foreign workers with willing American employers, when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. This program will offer legal status, as temporary workers, to the millions of undocumented men and women now employed in the United States, and to those in foreign countries who seek to participate in the program and have been offered employment here. This new system should be clear and efficient, so employers are able to find workers quickly and simply.
All who participate in the temporary worker program must have a job, or, if not living in the United States, a job offer. The legal status granted by this program will last three years and will be renewable -- but it will have an end. Participants who do not remain employed, who do not follow the rules of the program, or who break the law will not be eligible for continued participation and will be required to return to their home.
Under my proposal, employers have key responsibilities. Employers who extend job offers must first make every reasonable effort to find an American worker for the job at hand. Our government will develop a quick and simple system for employers to search for American workers. Employers must not hire undocumented aliens or temporary workers whose legal status has expired. They must report to the government the temporary workers they hire, and who leave their employ, so that we can keep track of people in the program, and better enforce immigration laws. There must be strong workplace enforcement with tough penalties for anyone, for any employer violating these laws.
Undocumented workers now here will be required to pay a one-time fee to register for the temporary worker program. Those who seek to join the program from abroad, and have complied with our immigration laws, will not have to pay any fee. All participants will be issued a temporary worker card that will allow them to travel back and forth between their home and the United States without fear of being denied re-entry into our country. (Applause.)
This program expects temporary workers to return permanently to their home countries after their period of work in the United States has expired. And there should be financial incentives for them to do so. I will work with foreign governments on a plan to give temporary workers credit, when they enter their own nation's retirement system, for the time they have worked in America. I also support making it easier for temporary workers to contribute a portion of their earnings to tax-preferred savings accounts, money they can collect as they return to their native countries. After all, in many of those countries, a small nest egg is what is necessary to start their own business, or buy some land for their family.
Some temporary workers will make the decision to pursue American citizenship. Those who make this choice will be allowed to apply in the normal way. They will not be given unfair advantage over people who have followed legal procedures from the start. I oppose amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship. Granting amnesty encourages the violation of our laws, and perpetuates illegal immigration. America is a welcoming country, but citizenship must not be the automatic reward for violating the laws of America. (Applause.)
The citizenship line, however, is too long, and our current limits on legal immigration are too low. My administration will work with the Congress to increase the annual number of green cards that can lead to citizenship. Those willing to take the difficult path of citizenship -- the path of work, and patience, and assimilation -- should be welcome in America, like generations of immigrants before them. (Applause.)
In the process of immigration reform, we must also set high expectations for what new citizens should know. An understanding of what it means to be an American is not a formality in the naturalization process, it is essential to full participation in our democracy. My administration will examine the standard of knowledge in the current citizenship test. We must ensure that new citizens know not only the facts of our history, but the ideals that have shaped our history. Every citizen of America has an obligation to learn the values that make us one nation: liberty and civic responsibility, equality under God, and tolerance for others.
This new temporary worker program will bring more than economic benefits to America. Our homeland will be more secure when we can better account for those who enter our country, instead of the current situation in which millions of people are unknown, unknown to the law. Law enforcement will face fewer problems with undocumented workers, and will be better able to focus on the true threats to our nation from criminals and terrorists. And when temporary workers can travel legally and freely, there will be more efficient management of our borders and more effective enforcement against those who pose a danger to our country. (Applause.)
This new system will be more compassionate. Decent, hard-working people will now be protected by labor laws, with the right to change jobs, earn fair wages, and enjoy the same working conditions that the law requires for American workers. Temporary workers will be able to establish their identities by obtaining the legal documents we all take for granted. And they will be able to talk openly to authorities, to report crimes when they are harmed, without the fear of being deported. (Applause.)
The best way, in the long run, to reduce the pressures that create illegal immigration in the first place is to expand economic opportunity among the countries in our neighborhood. In a few days I will go to Mexico for the Special Summit of the Americas, where we will discuss ways to advance free trade, and to fight corruption, and encourage the reforms that lead to prosperity. Real growth and real hope in the nations of our hemisphere will lessen the flow of new immigrants to America when more citizens of other countries are able to achieve their dreams at their own home. (Applause.)
Yet our country has always benefited from the dreams that others have brought here. By working hard for a better life, immigrants contribute to the life of our nation. The temporary worker program I am proposing today represents the best tradition of our society, a society that honors the law, and welcomes the newcomer. This plan will help return order and fairness to our immigration system, and in so doing we will honor our values, by showing our respect for those who work hard and share in the ideals of America.
May God bless you all. (Applause.)
END 3:07 P.M. EST
Yes, this is part of the reforms that have been underway, under everyones noses, so to speak.
The forces aligned against reform have hogtied congress.
Bush is making these reforms on his own incrementally, and I am trying to tell you where they are leading and how they will work when implemented.
The illegals will not get away scott free. they will be fined, and they will be regulated to the hilt.
This way, the economy will not suffer much. Prices on foods will increase, from vegetables and fruits to cattle and horses.
In the end, we will know where they are, what they are doing and when their jobs terminate.
With a permit, they will be allowed to work and cross the border at will. But this lasts only as long as the permit and the job.
In order for this to work, there is a whole crap load of reforms that must be made. Some of them are underway and others are coming.
By the time all these folks who are screaming about amnesty realize it, the program will be underway with the only thing left to do. The issuance of the permit. I would expect that they will begin to turn themselves in long before that. Jobs will be hard to find without legal standing as the underground dries up. A whole new constituency will be begging congress to issue worker permits.
I don't expect that for a while yet.
That is a great summation!
The game is labor migration IMO. It joins "free trade" (technology, wealth, and jobs transfers to developing nations) as the Clinton Third Way New Democrats' and mainline Republicans' globalization. IMO. The "guest worker" plan is but the first step toward unlimited labor migration.
two thousand cops to deport 15 million illegals?!
I rest my case.
FReeper paragraphs that is.
He has not said much. It is much the same as his speeches in 99 as governor.
I expect it will be done, mostly over the next four years incrementally. There is much to do before the first permit is ever issued.
I wish folks would see the wisdom of the idea, but unfortunately, there is a very strong lobby against doing anything combined with some honest conservatives.
It is not going to be easy, but as I said....It is well underway now.
I hope that he adds to it the program to strongly control the borders and to cut welfare programs for non US citizens.
Bush Administration's diplomat threaten internment of Mexicans if Fox does not support us in Iraq
www.economist.com/cities/displaystory.cfm?story_id=1608395
It is what it is.
The creation and building of markets to save our own from extinction.
That which does not grow, will die.
Basic macro economics.
Do some homework.
Union official: Frustration grows at Temecula Border Patrol station
In early June, the Temecula station formed a special Mobile Patrol Group that conducted a series of illegal immigrant sweeps in Norco, Corona, Escondido and other inland communities. The 12-man group made more than 450 arrests in that month.
The sweeps didn't go the entire month of June, only about three weeks. Lets say that those twelve agents did sweeps for 45 weeks in the year, or 15 sets of three week sweeps.
15 x 450 = 6750 illegal aliens deported by a twelve man team.
2000 ÷ 15 = about 133
133 x 6750 = 897750
So 2000 agents working 45 weeks could potentially deport as many as 900,000 illegal aliens.
If you started doing sweeps like this while taking away the entitlements, cracking down on employers and simultaneously offering a legitimate guest worker program, you would find that beyond those 900,000 a lot of illegal aliens would start leaving on their own. And that's just in the first year.
Enforcement will work, but legalization of illegal aliens will only encourage more illegal aliens.
YOu can't control the borders by rewarding the behavior that has them out of control.
If liberals like were to back off and let them do their jobs as they did before we would have a safe secure border. The ratio of cops to people is never even close to even and cops still get the job done dont you know that? Of course you dont you hate law enforcement your a liberal.
Boy, oh boy, and does he have a job for you!
Read his speech. It doesn't mention fines.
The illegal aliens who qualify will be rewarded with a visa. Why? It's not necessary, and it's counterproductive.
By the time all these folks who are screaming about amnesty realize it, the program will be underway with the only thing left to do.
That's the falsehood at the heart of the other falsehoods.
Offering a failed solution as the only possible solution is simply dishonest. This is the immigration equivalent of a perpetual motion machine.
You can not reward illegal behavior without encouraging it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.