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.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Beats some of the crap I see coming from the likes of Sam Francis or VDARE

Really this isn't about Sam Francis, I rarely even read the guy. If you're insinuating he's a racist, of which I have no idea whether he is or not that doesn't mean we don't have an illegal immigration problem, we do. And amnesty is not the answer, it was tried and it failed. The more slack we cut, the more we get taken advantage of. We already allow in almost a million a year legally, that's more than enough slack if you ask me.

Or does that thought offend your sense of ideological purity?

You're mixing up purity with principles, they're not the same thing. Conservatives can disagree on things, but not to the point where we're competing with the democrats to see who can be more liberal. Have you taken a look at the democratic candidates, everyone of them is in favor of an amnesty plan, I wonder why? Could it be because they see millions of democrat voters?

[Torie]

Californian's voted almost 3 to 1 in favor of prop 187

Maybe you should check that stat Joe. It seems errant. I recall it won in the high fifties, something like 3 to 2. Gilding the lilly is naughty.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Anyone you know have an immgrant in their family for the last three hundred years?

According to MAP, the Irish diaspora, the Italian migration, the Chinese migrations, the Jewish migrations, and the Cuban diaspora are simply urban legends, there has been no immigration into the U.S. since 70+ years before the American Revolution.

[A Citizen Reporter]

I don't recall talking about thieves, welfare users or winos. What we are talking about is immigrants. And that is primarily what Joe talks about all the time on FR. I do find is useful if he happens to be here on this soil that we call the USA as a result of immigrants. I find it useful to the argument. I find it useful for all of us to reflect upon the reasons that we happen to find ourselves here. I would love to understand what kind of grit it took for people to board a boat in northern Europe in the 1800's and to make there way here to be part of what we are today. And I don't understand why people don't want to examine that part of themselves today.

[Cultural Jihad]

Children of undocumented immigrants are either citizens of the United States if they were born here, or citizens of some other country if not. But children are not criminals because their parents committed a misdemeanor. You have a strange, foreign, and illegal view of the law, which is ironic considering what you are becoming apoplectic about.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Maybe you should check that stat Joe. It seems errant. I recall it won in the high fifties, something like 3 to 2.

Well hell, that's a good enough reason to burn our ballots and tell the majority of the people to pound sand and continue to pay for this government sponsored fraud.

I didn't win by a big enough margin, so tuff luck people!

LOL!

[Joe Hadenuf]

I've been wondering just what, if anything, is grounds for high treason these days. Seems that our government officials can knowingly allow our Military/Technology Secrets to fall into the hands of our enemies and get away with it. Our government officials can encourage other nations to invade America with impunity, force Americans to pay for the staggering social welfare costs of the Invaders and let them take our jobs. They can encourage American-based companies to outsource American jobs to other nations. I mean the list just goes on and on.

A very sad state of affairs.....

[Torie]

Shooting from the hip about stats is naughty Joe. I don't do that, and your nemisis Luis G. doesn't do that. And that is part of the reason we tend to win more arguments than we lose, when we argue (just my little "objective" opinion). We simply do a number or info dump, and that keeps the wolves at bay for sometimes at least 10 minutes or more.

[FITZ]

I'm not an immigrant --- and I don't care if Joe is one or if his parents were --- that doesn't give the right to the entire world to just come into the USA.

[MissAmericanPie]

Immigrants in the loosest possible sense of the word, being a people moving to newly attained territory of the British government. Like I said, there is far more here now than the deer and the antelope, there is what has been built and sacrificed for, and not everyone in the wide world is entitled to a piece of it.

As for as "not knowing", if someone pulls up in front of your home in a fuel truck, proceeds to douse your home with gasoline and is in the process of striking a match, you might just have the foresight to reason that this action just might mean trouble.

When the nation is being flooded with proven marxist voters a genuine conservative might possess the foresight to reason that this action just might mean trouble.

Both political parties are in a mad race to get the credit for making illegals legal and allowing them to vote in our elections. That action can bring about the destruction of the balance between the two parties making the USofA a one party system. That system being forevermore liberal/socialist.

Can the Republican Party out pander the Demonrats? They sure are giving it the old college try now aren't they? The problem with feeding a hungry dog is it keeps coming back for more. So assuming you are a conservative, what good does that do you?

And as for "competing", conservative Americans shouldn't have to compete with illegals at the voters booth. There are some things no one is free to do in this nation, except over the dead bodies of those that will defend against it. And that is no one in this nation has the right to rip up the Constitution, or turn the nation into a socialist/democrat nightmare.

We are a democratic republic, not a democracy, anyone who attempts to overlook that fact should be looked upon as an enemy of the nation, be they native or foreign born.

[Torie]

"Anyone you know have an immgrant in their family for the last three hundred years?

MAP really said that apparently. LOL. I think what she meant to say, is none that they know of in her neighborhood somewhere in Texas (they just don't keep those genealogical trees going for very long, maybe because literarcy faded a bit when they got back more than 2 or 3 generations). Of course, Texas is crawling with Germans and Scotch Irish, almost all of whom immigrated after the Revolution. And there you have it.

[Joe Hadenuf]

OK Torie, let me make it simple for you. California's won Prop 187 by a *large* margin.

And the federal government in concert with the state government, ditched our election, burned our ballots and declared our free election illegal. There simple.

This is all predictable, and look no further than what the Bush administration is getting ready to do. Securing our borders, our cities and our sovereignty is just not part of their agenda. Not part of the plan.

[FITZ]

And I don't understand why people don't want to examine that part of themselves today.

What part of themselves? If some people got on a boat 150 years ago --- and you never met them --- how is that a part of yourself? What if some great great grandfather of mine was some murderer and that's why he got on that boat? That doesn't justify anything. If my great great grandfather was a stowaway and came here illegally --- that also doesn't justfiy anything. If he came legally --- that also doesn't justify people coming illegally.

[Torie]

Thanks for helping me with it all Joe. I finally understand what had previously eluded me.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

LOl good post, but I think your valid point will be missed.

[Joe Hadenuf]

In any event, you guys can all discuss our ancestors, and the immigrants that came here hundreds of years ago. LOL!

Exit stage right......

[JackelopeBreeder]

If you think it's easy getting an Asian wife into this country, you haven't tried.

[FITZ]

I don't get this ancestor worship or whatever this is --- who cares? If you were born here, you didn't immigrate, if your parents were born here, they aren't immigrants, and your grandparents. How connected are you with generations beyond your grandparents?

[A Citizen Reporter]

"If some people got on a boat 150 years ago --- and you never met them --- how is that a part of yourself?

Yes some people got on a boat 150 years ago.

No, incredibly I never met them.

"how is that a part of yourself?"

Well, they happen to be my g-g-grandparents.

They are part of me. I come from their stock. Some may have checkered pasts. That is part of the discovery that occurs when you do genealogy research. I'm sorry that you don't feel the same love for your family or your heritage. But we all have it. And it's part of the story as to why you are lucky enough to be an American citizen at this point in time.