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Posted on 12/24/2003 3:02:02 PM PST by Sabertooth
Immigration Reform Advocates Criticize White House Proposal (CNSNews.com) - Advocates for tougher enforcement of U.S. Immigration laws say the White House has put "a lump of coal in the stockings of American workers" with a Christmas Eve proposal to allow more foreign workers to enter the country and amnesty for some workers who have already entered illegally.
Activists working with the administration told the Washington Post Wednesday that the president is working on a strategy that would let foreign citizens enter the U.S. legally, with few restrictions, if they have a job waiting for them. The newspaper's sources said the White House also wants to find some way to grant amnesty to at least some of the nine to 11 million illegal aliens currently in the U.S.
Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, scoffed at the proposal.
"This Christmas Eve announcement amounts to a lump of coal in the stockings of American workers," Stein said, "while illegal aliens and their employers find expensive gifts, tied up with fancy ribbons and bows, waiting for them in the new year."
The Bush proposal would reportedly allow employers to advertise jobs on a taxpayer sponsored website. The jobs would first be made available to U.S. citizens but, if there were no takers, could then be opened up to citizens of other countries. The plan would also allow many, if not most, of the nine to 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S. to be "reclassified" as "guest workers."
"The White House diligently avoided using the 'A' word in its announcement," Stein said. "But no matter how much Karl Rove wishes to torture the English language, a program that rewards millions upon millions of people who have cheated to get into this country, who have cheated by working off-the-books and avoided paying taxes, and who have cheated by using billions of dollars in public services ... is still an amnesty."
Bush tried to avert such criticism at a Dec. 16 press conference in which he teased the proposal.
"We need to have an immigration policy that helps match any willing employer with any willing employee," Bush said, quickly adding, "This administration is firmly against blanket amnesty."
The leak of Bush's plan to reporters came two weeks after Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said current immigration law, which mandates that illegal aliens return to their home countries to apply for legal status in the U.S. is "not workable."
"The bottom line is, as a country we have to come to grips with the presence of 8 to 12 million illegals, afford them some kind of legal status some way," Ridge told those attending a town hall meeting in Miami Dec. 10. "But also as a country [we have to] decide what our immigration policy is and then enforce it."
Phil Kent, executive director of the American Immigration Control Foundation, said the former Pennsylvania governor should resign his position.
"Ridge is clearly incapable of overseeing homeland security," Kent said. "Aside from dynamiting the rule of law by rewarding lawbreakers, how would security interests be served by simply granting legal status to foreigners whose identities and criminal histories can't be verified?
"Besides, this would only serve as a magnet for more illegal immigration," Kent predicted, "as the foolish congressional amnesties of 1986 and 1990 underscore."
Stein warned that the Bush proposal would have a serious economic impact on American citizens and immigrants who have entered the country and obtained permission to work legally.
"In addition to legalizing millions of illegal aliens and countless additional family members, the 'guest worker' provision of this proposal will sound the death knell of the American middle class," Stein predicted. "Employers will never again have to compete for workers by offering better pay or benefits. They will simply have to look across the border, or across the ocean to find an unlimited supply of workers willing to accept whatever they are willing to pay.
"Upward mobility, for most American workers, will become something they study about in history class," he concluded.
Stein said the White House wants to "reward illegal immigrants and punish American workers," when it should be backing Republican proposals to "protect American workers and send a signal to illegal aliens and their employers that U.S. immigration laws have some meaning.
"There are several critical pieces of legislation that would enhance our immigration enforcement capability, improve our antiquated documentation system, and protect American workers, all introduced by congressional Republicans that the Administration should be championing instead of capitulating to the illegal immigration lobby," Stein said.
Typical of this administration. Bush tried to sneak through 245(i) amnesty 6 months after 9/11 in the dead of night through the suspension of rules process in the House. Tancredo made them all vote so we could see who was selling out the country.
They'll try to push this absurdity onto us as well when they think no one's looking.
Bush will get my vote, but he let me down on CFR, he should never have signed CFR with the concerns he had with it's Constitutionality. Thankfully CFR can be revisited by Congress and I hope they do so ASAP
Have a Merry Christmas ALL, I'm off to the shower and then to my brothers for a Christmas Eve drink fest, I'll check in sometime around 2 AM Est.
Till then.... Stay Safe & God Bless
Just before the Presidential elections in 2000 then President Clinton sent tens (more likely hundreds) of thousands letters to Illegal infiltrator non-citizens in California that had a tear off portion that was "proof" that the person with it was registered to vote.
If by some meathod all the illegal votes were not counted, and the Military ones that were denied being counted were counted Bush , would have won by a landslide.
No it ain't amnesty but Social Security, SSI, Section 8, WIC, health care, universities, and lots more! won't know the difference.
IMO the problem is the corrupt Mexican government. When only half of the ILLEGALS are Mexican, why pick on them? It's their corrupt government's policy to dump millions of unwanted citizens here, demand we give them citizenship rights plus, and demand that the ILLEGALS remain loyal to Mexico.
Though it places the ILLEGAL aliens squarely in the middle something like this (below) may convey the attitude of many Americans -- not only about the need for neighbor Mexico's absolute support for our war to defend against radical Islam but also our reluctance to continue footing the bill for Mexico's responsibilities.
The corrupt government of Mexico should be made to understand that their days are numbered. It's time for reform. Then those Mexicans who wish can migrate as others have done in the past, to become Americans. But, alas, Vicente Fox is virtually a co-president to his good buddy President Bush.
"Mexico, the United States and Iraq Time to be counted," Feb 27th 2003, The Economist (print edition - Mexico City)
"One American diplomat has given warning that a Mexican No could 'stir up feelings' against Mexicans in the United States. He draws comparisons with the Japanese-Americans who were interned after 1941, and wonders whether Mexico 'wants to stir the fires of jingoism during a war'". [end quote]
Others have said the diplomats who were visiting Mexico City at the time were Marc Grossman and Kim Holmes.
I'd rather send directly to Mexico the estimated 4.6 billion dollars a year that California spends to support ILLEGALS. You know, that figures out to about $1,000 a piece, more or less.-- no one knows just how many ILLEGALS are here. That figure is state budgeted money only.
Of course, the corrupt ruling class of Mexico would steal the money.
I agree, but it was Bush and Mitch McConnell who worked the deal to challenge portions of CFR and gamble that the SCOTUS would repeal the 1st Ammendment concerns.
I must admit that I thought the SCOTUS would trike those portions down, and understtod why he signed it. But obviously that was a bug mistake and CFR must be revisted
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Well I've read the whole article from the beginning and it is what Bush wants, he's wanted to amnesty all illegal aliens since he got into office. He's now under the belief he can twist Congress's arm and get whatever he wants, and the passage of CFR and the Medicare bills provide enough reason for him to think that.
He will pressure Congress to go along with this lunacy, and while you may be right they will not, then again they may unless we the voters speak loud and clear: "read my lips, no new amnesties."
No, what we need to do is deport them.
No an amnesty would not mean the end of the world, not even close. But the old Republic as we've known it would be gone forever as millions upon millions poured in. Thanks to the family chain the amnestied alone could bring in God knows how many of their relatives. This is very bad news to hear that Bush has set his sights on such crappy legislation. But the fight has just begun.
Merry Christmas
Same to you and to everyone.
We'll get more votes here in California on Prop 187 II than George Bush will get for president.
I will vote for Republican Congressman Wally Herger. He supports Congressman Tancredo.
President Bush does great "over there" defending our sovereignty (with a little help from the military) but here he seems to just not give a darn. Cheap labor and votes! Who could ask for anything more?! Uh.. Americans?
BTW to All, Mr. Rove, et al. ought to view these threads as inexpensive focus groups. So, as such, Mr. Rove, et al. need our opinions NOW not after they submitted their proposals to Congress.
Merry Christmas Saber and ALL ! ...
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