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]

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

Delay actually came out in favor of a guest worker program not too long ago, though I'm not sure what he thinks of this scam idea.

The ones to look to in Congress are Hastert and Sensenbrenner and last I knew they were both against rewarding illegal aliens with amnesties. It's why I think these "principles" are DOA.

[Moonman62]

There they go again with that dispicable bit of con carne.

True, we are a nation of American citizens.

[Cold Heat]

Thanks, and happy Freeping

Happy Zots to you as well!:-)

Good behavior mode enabled.......................

[William McKinley]

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

Yes.

[Pubbie]

"Delay actually came out in favor of a guest worker program not too long ago"

Tancredo supports a type of Guest Worker program too.

But that program is very different from an Amnesty, and so far I have never heard Delay say he supported an Amnesty.

[Scenic Sounds]

"Sold out again!" "That's it!!" "I'm never voting for that party again!!"

Did I miss any? ;-)

[Pubbie]

Yes O Great One!

: D

[oceanview]

well, not really. they are far more willing employers in the US who would want access to low cost labor. but many of these business, especially the larger ones, will not hire anyone who does not have legal status (unless they are snookered by people with false papers). A worker from Mexico is perfectly capable of mounting wheels on a car coming of an assembly line, or working to stock lumber at home depot. But they do not have those jobs. Give them legal status, and they will.

[Lizavetta]

President Bush will propose immigration law changes to allow workers from Mexico to enter the United States if they have jobs waiting for them,

Bush has just indicated that all employers who employ illegals are no longer breaking the law, that illegals who are employed in US are no longer breaking the law, and that low (lettuce picking), middle (hospital workers, etc.) and high (construction, plumbing, etc.) wage jobs are now available to foreigners who will displace Americans.

This has totally clinched it for me. What a ($#&%*$# disgrace of a Republican this man is. I don't much care any more that he's not a slut like Clinton. He has ballooned domestic spending and torn down our borders worse than Clinton ever did. We have been shafted right, left and center.

[oceanview]

see post #13, how does a guest worker program work? I just don't see how it could be contained and administered.

[NormsRevenge]

Here's a longer article from AP, same title by Terence Hunt, FRom Yahoo News.

AP Photo

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.

Rove, with Bush at a campaign fund-raiser in St. Louis, deflected questions about Bush's proposal.

"Stay tuned," he told a reporter.

Bush's planned announcement comes five days before he meets in Mexico with President Vicente Fox (news - web sites) on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas, a meeting of the hemisphere's leaders.

Mexico is seeking a measure of legality for the approximately 4 million undocumented Mexicans living in the United States and wants a legal way for others to work in the country in the future.

Immigration talks between the United States and Mexico stalled when the Sept. 11 terror attacks prompted the United States to tighten border restrictions, and were set back further by Mexico's refusal to support the Iraq (news - web sites) war. Tensions also arose over Bush's refusal to stop the execution of a Mexican national in Texas.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, at a town hall meeting in Miami last month, hinted at a change of policy when he said the United States needs to "come to grips" with an estimated 8 million to 12 million illegal immigrants and "determine how you can legalize their presence." He also said that the immigrants should not be rewarded citizenship.

Bush, at a year-end news conference in January, said he was preparing to send Congress ideas about an "immigration policy that helps match any willing employer with any willing employee." He said he is "firmly against blanket amnesty," or a mass legalization.

Two guest-worker bills have been proposed in Congress: One from Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain and two of McCain's Republican House colleagues, Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake; and a second from Sen. John Cornyn.

Cornyn, a Texas Republican, has proposed that illegal immigrants could volunteer to work for up to three years if a job exists for them. When they've worked three years, they could apply for legal permanent residence, but must return to their country of origin to do so.

Workers illegally in the United States would have 12 months to apply to the program and after that would no longer be eligible. Those accepted would be given a "blue card," allowing them to travel outside the United States.

The Cornyn proposal would give guest workers the same rights granted Americans under Labor Department (news - web sites) laws and would set up accounts for workers in which employers would deposit money drawn from workers' wages in lieu of withdrawing the money for Social Security (news - web sites) or Medicare.

The money would be held by the Treasury and would be refunded to the worker when the worker returns to his or her home country.

[oceanview]

didn't you read the warnings from the moderator? take it easy, let's see what actually happens first.

[Cold Heat]

if he's going to push through an Amnesty it will be THIS YEAR

I would have to disagree. I think 2005.

Certainly they will not call it "amnesty", but I expect it to have a carrot in it for people who have been good citizens and have been here a while with family.

I do not see haow they can avoid it.

But, I also expect a stick to go with the carrot. To satisfy many in the base, it will need to be a good one. However, the issue is not on the forefront for most voters as of yet. Only something like 30% even think about it or see it as a problem.

[Lizavetta]

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

My mother came over in the 50's and was quarantined. She married my father and had my sister at which point her visa ran out and she was forced to return to her native country for a spell.

[Lead Moderator]

lol Wise guy.

It's been going really well so far. I've thrown a few flags but haven't had to pull any replies nor do anything even approaching a suspend or ban. Some squawking, but not much, and even then done without too much rancor.

Keep your fingers crossed.

[Pubbie]

"how does a guest worker program work?"

The one that Tancredo supports is where Mexicans come in, work, but they can't bring family and they have to go back after a certain amount of time.

[oceanview]

I don't know enough about this Cornyn proposal. How would he limit numbers of people, and would any US job be open to them? How would you then stop a pickup truck plant in Texas from firing all their US workers and horing these workers for half price? How would you stop Home Depot from laying off all their people who stack lumber to hire the Mexican immigrants? I just don't see how it works.

[Lead Moderator]

"What a ($#&%*$# disgrace"

Your anger came through loud and clear- even without this. Your post would have been better without this, and would be less likely to result in starting a flame war with some Bush supporters. Please consider that in the future, if you would. It would help prevent these threads from degenerating to where we need to backroom them or yank them.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Tancredo supports a type of Guest Worker program too

I'm against guest worker programs completely after the H1-b debacle. All they do is displace Americans from their jobs.

But if they're bound and determined to shove one down our throats then Tancredo's would be far preferable to any of the others. The "guests" can't bring their entire families and they would have to go home.

We will have to do something with the anchor baby abuse though otherwise even Tancredo's program will become a permanent visa for quite a few of them.

[oceanview]

horing=hiring