Bush Proposing Immigration Reform for Millions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Looking to draw more Hispanics behind his re-election bid, President Bush on Wednesday will propose a temporary worker program to help millions of immigrants work legally in the United States, officials said.

Facing a possibly close election next November, Bush is reviving an issue put on hold when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks raised American worries about terrorists slipping across U.S. borders and prompted tighter control of foreigners entering and living in the country.

Bush was to lay out the plan in a 2:45 p.m. EST (1945 GMT) speech on Wednesday from the White House East Room. He will outline broad principles and leave details to be negotiated with Congress.

He will discuss the plan next Monday with Mexican President Vicente Fox, who has been pressuring Bush for U.S. immigration reform.

Under his plan, illegal immigrants in the United States would be able to gain legal status for an initial three-year period if they can prove they have jobs, senior Bush administration officials said. Estimates on the number of illegals range from 8 million up to 14 million.

They would have permission to leave the country and come back as needed, and would be able to renew their three-year visas for a number of times to be negotiated with Congress, the officials said.

Officials insisted this did not amount to a blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants living in the United States and that having a job under the temporary worker program would not provide any additional advantage for obtaining permanent residency status.

"We believe that this is an attractive program which will reduce the number of illegals here," said one official who briefed reporters in a conference call.

In addition, those outside the country wanting to work in the United States would be able to sign up for jobs if they exist. Employers would first have to show the jobs cannot be filled by Americans, who increasingly shun the types of menial labor jobs that immigrants take.

Bush's plan raised the possibility of a new flood of illegal immigrants crossing the border in search of a job before Congress approves of any legislation, so that they would be eligible for the three-year program.

Officials played down this possibility, saying border controls were much stronger in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. More than 400 people died over the past year trying to cross into the United States, and "coyote" smugglers command prices of $1,500 to $5,000 to ferret illegals in.

The goal is to end the "underground economy" that illegals operate in. Employers would have to pay them the minimum wage and their Social Security taxes.

The officials did not make clear what would happen to the children or other family members of the illegal immigrants who are living in the United States with the employed person.

If implemented, the plan could lead to the biggest change in U.S. immigration law since 1986 legislation giving legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, many of them smuggled across the Mexican border.

How long it would take to negotiate the legislation was unclear. "Who knows?" said senior official.

Bush's re-election team would like to increase Hispanic support for a second term for the president, particularly in states where they could tip the balance in his favor, such as Florida and California.

Hispanic organizations said it was about time Bush addressed the issue after campaigning in 2000 for immigration reform.

"We fear this is political positioning and we really want to see some sincere policy outcomes and see something that really helps the immigrant community and not just the Bush campaign," said Michele Waslin, spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza.

Conservatives were worried. Rep. Thomas Tancredo, a Colorado Republican who leads the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, a group of 70 legislators that argues for more restrictions, said an amnesty of any kind was a "step backwards."

But supporters of immigration reform said something had to be done. "We have 10.5 million illegal workers in the United States right now. If they went home, we'd have to shut down the country," said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue.

The Illegals Solution: Credit to Sabertooth.

Dealing with Illegals doesn't have to be the enormous burden on resources many imagine, not would it have to infringe on civil liberties.

I've posted this on a few threads, but I keep getting requests:

This problem is no harder to solve than wanting to solve it. We can get rid of Illegals rather effectively, by rolling up our sleeves and getting the Illegals to get rid of themselves.

The first order of business, of course, is to enforce existing laws on the books against Illegals and those who employ them. Also, politicians must be held to account when they pander otherwise.

Then...

1: Eliminate all mention of Section 245(i), even if expired, from the US Immigration and Naturalization Code. No more Amnesty, ever.

2: Get legislation through Congress that would enable States to deny goodies to Illegals, a la Prop #187.

3: Outlaw Mexican matricula consular IDs, and kick banks accepting them out of the FDIC. Legal depositors will withdraw from recalcitrant banks.

4: Beef up Border Security with manpower, resources, and a Volunteer Reserve, if necessary. No troops, and no messing with posse comitatus, this should be a civilian effort.

5: Beef up the immigration courts and set deportation hearings for two weeks after apprehension, with no bail.

6: Run sting operations at day laborer sites.

7: Establish two-way communication between the IRS and Border Security, and start apprehending and deporting Illegals using false SS numbers (no, the current overhyped voluntary program doesn't count).

8: Seize the assets of businesses knowingly hiring Illegals under the RICO Act, as they are ongoing criminal enterprises. Prosecute executives who knowingly hire Illegals.

9: Compile biometric information on Illegals, and declare that they will be permanently ineligible for immigration and citizenship.

10: If the United States declares that the above proposals against Illegals will be diligently enforced after a certain date, many Illegals will leave beforehand, and a relatively small number of well-publicized cases of enforcement throughout the Lower 48 will result in millions of Illegals deporting themselves.

11: End the busting of immigration caps by limiting family reunification to spouses and dependent children, and counting them against the caps when they are brought in. Require all future immigrants to declare their future intent to bring in family upon arrival. This way, families can immigrate in a controlled, orderly fashion without the current deceptions being used against the American public. We must have truth in immigration.

12: Outlaw anchor babies, and give the option to the Illegal parent of taking the child with them upon deportation, or putting them up for adoption.

13: Outlaw bilingual ballots, and resume the English-speaking requirements for citizenship.

14: Establish English skills as a prerequisite for future immigrants. Let's start admitting folks who will hit the ground running toward assimilation.

15: Shut off new immigration to nations that offer dual citizenship. Disqualify current immigrants from those nations from future American citizenship.

16: Make Mexico and Central America our cheap import sources of choice with tariffs on manufacturing from other sources, especially China.

17: In return, Mexico must open up to American investment by allowing the sale of real estate to us and guaranteeing property our rights. Getting Mexico to fix its economy is crucial.

18: Establish a guest worker program where an initial bond is posted by the Illegal and his employer, say $500 each, with more withheld from the Illegal's earning, as security for his departure from the US by the specified date. Guest worker visas must be applied for in the workers' countries of origin, and participants are only eligible to be employed by their sponsoring employer. Violation of these terms will render the worker ineligible for any future visas or residence in the US. Any guest worker program can only come after anti-Illegal measures are in place. Handshake promises of future diligence will not be trusted from any politician of either party, including President Bush.
The list above is by no means comprehensive, and can be adopted piecemeal or in a single package. That said, incrementalism is probably going to be the way to go, especially politically.

These measures would provide a little carrot and lots of stick for Illegals already here to get themselves out. Some of them will need to be tested in the courts, which is another reason to adopt them piecemeal, so that an injunction against omnibus legislation can't stall the whole effort.

We ought to be looking initially at easy, politically safe legislation, like the new accounting for family reunification, Border Security/IRS cooperation, English speaking citizenship requirements, and a few others. Our politicians are a trembling, timid bunch, and need to gain a little self-confidence before they'll tackle more difficult issues.

Note a few things that aren't on my list: troops or walls on the border. I think they are a futile diversion from cost effective solutions. The best possible wall at the border is to let foreigners know that we respect our sovereignty, and they had best do the same.

Note that their are no house to house searches.

Note also that I don't call for an immigration moratorium, though others may. I think their position is within the respectable mainstream of a dialogue about immigration, and while it's possible that I might change my mind later, but I am not currently persuaded that an outright moratorium is or will be necessary.

The main problem is multimillion-strong mass of Illegals, and the secondary problem is how we currently select legal immigrants for rapid assimilation into American society. I believe my proposals adequately address both situations, but there is certainly room for debate on the back end.

Note also that I have a guest worker program that is actually honest and responsible, and not an Amnesty by another name. My program would ensure that law-abiding foreigners are background-checked before entry, rather than rewarding lawbreaking Illegals after the fact.

All of the above could be adopted while allowing politicians so-inclined to chant the "compassionate conservatism" mantra.

A few final thoughts...

My proposals will cost money and require an expansion of the federal government in certain areas. However, this expense and expansion is all well within the legitimate, Constitutional responsibilities of the federal government. There will be a greater expense initially, as we ramp up to deal with the backlog of Illegals, but a number of my proposals are at least partially self-funding. Also, success in these endeavors will eventually reduce the need for them, and as many Illegals would leave on their own.

In contrast, there would be also be an increased expense and expansion of the government if there is an Amnesty, as checking backgrounds and processing 8 to 12 million Illegals wouldn't be cheap. However, such increases and expansions would only serve to reward the lawlessness of Illegals and the cowardice of politicians, thereby encouraging more of the same in both, unless there were also enforcement proposals like mine in effect for the American Interior.

But, if we strengthened and enforced our laws consistently within our borders, then we don't need the phantom solution of Amnesty anyway.

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