Bush To Propose Immigration Law Changes

AP | 01-05-04 | AP

[Pubbie]

[Moderator's note: threads regarding immigration issues and border issues have been spiralling out of control for some time on Free Republic. This is going to change. Fair warning: this would be a very poor thread to engage in flame warring, flame baiting, or otherwise being needlessly instigative. If you have not yet read this thread, you may want to before engaging in the debate on this or other similar threads. If there are any questions regarding the new scrutiny of these threads, please take them to that thread rather than cluttering up these threads. So far, people have been very cooperative with this effort, and for that I am grateful. Thanks, and happy Freeping.]

President Bush will propose immigration law changes to allow workers from Mexico to enter the United States if they have jobs waiting for them, officials said Monday in previewing an election-year measure intended to bolster support among Hispanic voters.

Advocacy groups were invited to the White House on Wednesday to hear details of the program.

"The president has long talked about the importance of having an immigration policy that matches willing workers with willing employers," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "It's important for America to be a welcoming society. We are a nation of immigrants, and we're better for it."

Immigration advocacy groups characterized Bush's move as a politically drawn effort to curry favor with Hispanics, a potent political force, particularly in key states like Florida, California and border states. Two sources speaking on condition of anonymity said Bush would outline a set of principles rather than a detailed piece of legislation, and that the policy statement would draw on bills already pending in Congress.

"It looks very much like a political effort and what they do with these `principles' is going to determine whether this is really a policy initiative or not," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza. "The Latino community knows the difference between political posturing and a real policy debate."

She said the initiative was crafted by Bush's political strategist, Karl Rove, and that the immigration policy community was excluded from the deliberations.

"We know of no one in the immigration policy community, business groups or Latino groups who has been consulted," she said.

[Pubbie]

"Two sources speaking on condition of anonymity said Bush would outline a set of principles rather than a detailed piece of legislation,"

This is very good news. If there is no specific plan, then Bush can't send anything to Congress for a vote.

If we can just survive this last election cycle without an Amnesty being passed by Congress, then there won't be one passed during Bush's second term because the GOP will be too worried about 2008 to focus on an Amnesty.

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[gubamyster]

ping

[Pubbie]

Can you please add this to the Title:

Bush To Propose Immigration Law Changes

That should be the title of the thread - sorry.

[Pubbie]

Can you please add this to the Title:

Bush To Propose Immigration Law Changes

That should be the title of the thread - sorry.

[Pubbie]

Can you please add this to the Title:

Bush To Propose Immigration Law Changes

That should be the title of the thread - sorry.

[Pubbie]

*Ping*!

[oceanview]

the status quo is indeed better then any form of legal status. at least as "illegals", certain companies will not hire them. can you imagine giving them a work visa, and having them walk into a non union auto plant in Texas and saying "i'm here to work, I'll mount those wheels on that pickup truck for $10/hr instead of the auto worker making $20". alot of people tend to think that they will only take jobs as dishwashers and maids, but once they are given legal status in any form, any job that they could perform would be open to them.

[Pubbie]

"the status quo is indeed better then any form of legal status."

Right, I'm praying that Bush doesn't make the situation any worse than it already is.

[MJY1288]

He'll say the same thing he always has, "We need structure an immigration policy that matches willing workers with willing employer" and nothing will be done. Been that way for three years now

[oceanview]

imagine walmart, they would rent a fleet of buses and drive them to the border to pick these newly "work visa'ed" mexicans up to work in their stores across the country.

[Pubbie]

Thank God!

I suspected this was going to be what Bush would do, but that WashingtonPost article had me worried!

[oceanview]

I can't even imagine a way to implement such a guest worker program. the ideal way would be to classify certain jobs as being eligible, and only allow guest workers to fill those positions. but how do you enforce that? who selects which jobs qualify? and once the guest worker enters the US, how do you prevent them from taking a job that's "not on the approved list"? how long before teams of immigration attorneys challenge the law, and some judge says that classifying only certain jobs for the guest workers violates the constitution, and opens everything up? it would be total chaos.

[MJY1288]

"Two sources speaking on condition of anonymity said Bush would outline a set of principles rather than a detailed piece of legislation, and that the policy statement would draw on bills already pending in Congress."

Which have zero chance of passage, and I would bet that they will never be debated as long as Tom Delay is the majority leader

[MissAmericanPie]

"We are a nation of immigrants, and we're better for it."

There they go again with that dispicable bit of con carne. Anyone you know have an immgrant in their family for the last three hundred years? I think you are about to be very disappointed. Congress will rush through some slummy, destructive, appeasing legislation and when we see how corrupt and destructive it is to our survival Bush can claim he had nothing to do with it, other than sign it because of it's popularity. Most likely he won't sign it until after Nov. 4th. But sign it he will.

[MJY1288]

It's called playing politics with a touchy issue, meanwhile we have seen more deportations than ever, the borders are a bit tighter and eventually we will see stiff penalties placed upon employers who hire illegals.

There is more than one way to skin a Cat

[EllaMinnow]

My first ancestor to come to America didn't come here until 1850.

[Pubbie]

"as long as Tom Delay is the majority leader"

DeLay is against Amnesty?

I knew there were Senior House leaders that were opposed, but I didn't know it was Delay - I guess he doesn't want to advertise those opinions publicly for obvious reasons!

:~)

[Pubbie]

"Most likely he won't sign it until after Nov. 4th. But sign it he will."

I don't think so - if he's going to push through an Amnesty it will be THIS YEAR - and not afterwards.

[Lead Moderator]

[Moderator's note: threads regarding immigration issues and border issues have been spiralling out of control for some time on Free Republic. This is going to change. Fair warning: this would be a very poor thread to engage in flame warring, flame baiting, or otherwise being needlessly instigative. If you have not yet read this thread, you may want to before engaging in the debate on this or other similar threads. If there are any questions regarding the new scrutiny of these threads, please take them to that thread rather than cluttering up these threads. So far, people have been very cooperative with this effort, and for that I am grateful. Thanks, and happy Freeping.]