Officials Discuss Details of Bush's Immigrant Worker Plan

New York Times ^ | February 13, 2004 | RACHEL L. SWARNS

[lonewacko_dot_com]

Government officials outlined details of the Bush administration's sweeping plan to overhaul the nation's immigration laws on Thursday, saying that the proposed guest worker program would grant legal status to illegal immigrants who were living in the United States on Jan. 7.

The officials, from the Department of Homeland Security, said legal status would also be granted to the families of immigrants participating in the program as long as the workers earned enough to provide for their relatives...

[lonewacko_dot_com]

Please contact the Subcommittee members and let them know what you think:

Republican Members:

Saxby Chambliss, GA (Chairman)
416 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Phone 202-224-3521 | Fax 202-224-0103

Charles E. Grassley, IA
135 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3744

Jon Kyl, AZ
730 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4521 Fax: (202) 224-2207

Mike DeWine, OH
140 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2315 Fax: (202) 224-6519

Jeff Sessions, AL
335 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4124 Fax: (202) 224-3149
E-mail: senator@sessions.senate.gov

Larry Craig, ID
520 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2752 Fax: 202/228-1067

John Cornyn, TX
517 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2934 Fax: 202-228-2856

Democratic Members

Edward M. Kennedy, MA (Ranking Democrat)
317 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4543
E-mail: senator@kennedy.senate.gov

Patrick J. Leahy, VT
433 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4242
E-mail: senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov

Dianne Feinstein, CA
331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3841 Fax: (202) 228-3954

Charles E. Schumer, NY
313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6542 Fax: 202-228-3027

Richard J. Durbin, IL
332 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2152 Fax (202)228-0400
E-mail: dick@durbin.senate.gov

John Edwards, NC
225 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3154 fax (202) 228-1374

[Shermy]

The officials, from the Department of Homeland Security, said legal status would also be granted to the families of immigrants participating in the program as long as the workers earned enough to provide for their relatives.

Bring in more. Gramma can be a maid too. Impossible to "prove" earnings, and what is "enough?" And if "enough" isn't earned, will Immigration show up at their door and haul them away?

Such a joke. Another contrivance to deceive the people that something is being done other than what is really intended.

[Constitution Day]

BUMP.

[steve50]

I'm sure they won't earn enough to provide health care for their family members, or themselves for that matter. Oh well, just raise the price on those who can pay and raise the medical insurance premiums. Great plan Georgie.

[Daryl L.Hunter]

I have worked with many mexicans that get green cards. They must pay a $2,000 dollar bribe to get a visa to get a green card. So unlesss we take over the Mexican Visa office Bush's plan will fail as all others have. Mexicans that can't afford the bribe will be crossing the border anyway.

Upper Valley Free Press	Daryl L. Hunter - Publisher
Citizens For A Freer America

[Shermy]

The Bush plan is quite radical. Not surprising since it was basically written by the corporate cheap labor lobby, strategically placing their Uncle Toms up front to easily deflect media and guilty white liberal inquiries (not that they care much about American citizens in the first place). Some "conservatives" are duped with appeals that this "has to be done" to gain "Hispanic" votes. A myth also grounded in white liberal alienation from the people replicated in the media as a truth or common sense.

Radical in its scope and breadth, radical in its contrived rules that can't be and won't be enforced.

[Tamzee]

The easy route would have been for Bush to ignore this until next year. The status quo can't continue... Bush's proposal has now forced Congress to face the illegal immigrant problem and hammer out some type of solution.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

(Director of Immigration )Mr. Aguirre said. "I think it's in your power to provide for a feature for those who, as you indicated, have an interest in staying here, to let them apply for a green card and get on a parallel track while they continue to be a temporary worker."

Which means we are granting them amnesty, right???

So, where is the part of the plan where we seal our borders and impose strict employer sanctions in order to prevent the next wave of illegal immigration?

[dalebert]

I don't have a problem with guest workers or legal immegration. But rewarding law breaking illegals is wrong.
These people don't want to be good US citizens. They want use this country and our tax dollars. They need to stay home and start a revolution in their own country.

[navyblue]

have worked with many mexicans that get green cards. They must pay a $2,000 dollar bribe to get a visa to get a green card. So unlesss we take over the Mexican Visa office Bush's plan will fail as all others have. Mexicans that can't afford the bribe will be crossing the border anyway.

Your post is confusing. Sorry, I confuse easily.

But there is no such thing as a Mexican visa office.

Visas to enter the United States are issued by the U.S. Department of State consular officers. These officers are in U.S. Embassies or U.S. Consulates.

Are you saying Mexicans are bribing U.S. consular officers to obtain visas?

If so, cite evidence please.

[navyblue]

This proposal as outlined by the president would allow for "guest workers" to work in the country or three years and then renew for another three years. Now here is a case where the "devil can be in the details."

God help us if this thing actually becomes law, but if it does, look carefully to see if they are legally classified as "resident aliens" while they are here.

Now here's where it can get hairy. Under the present law as set out in the Immigration and Nationality Act, Anyone who is a legal resident alien for a period of five years is eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. Are you getting the picture now?

U.S. citizens never need to go home!

[Daryl L.Hunter]

Visas to enter the United States are issued by the U.S. Department of State consular officers. These officers are in U.S. Embassies or U.S. Consulates. Are you saying Mexicans are bribing U.S. consular officers to obtain visas? If so, cite evidence please.

Sorry for passing on hearsay but the Mexicans I worked with had to give $2,000 to someone, I only assumed it was the visa office. My amigos didn't speak very good english.

[skeeter]

The easy route would have been for Bush to ignore this until next year. The status quo can't continue... Bush's proposal has now forced Congress to face the illegal immigrant problem and hammer out some type of solution.

I would have prefered he ignored the issue. We wouldn't have illegals storming the borders in the numbers they have since 1/7.

And I wouldn't be so conflicted about supporting him this time around.

[Celtman]

The status quo can't continue...

      But sometimes the "cure" is even worse than the disease.  Apeasement is alway a formula for failure.  The real answer is deportations and enforcement of the borders.  No new laws required.  Only executive backbone.

[Tamzee]

I would have prefered he ignored the issue. We wouldn't have illegals storming the borders in the numbers they have since 1/7.

Chemotherapy makes you significantly more ill before actual health benefits kick in. That doesn't mean the chemotherapy wasn't a valuable step longterm.

[Tamzee]

No new laws required. Only executive backbone.

Yep, I'd prefer that we could just deport all illegals myself, but I know better than to make sweeping condemnations based on desires that are unrealistic. The costs would be enormous both financially and in political expense (night after night of crying children as they were separated from family or ripped from school and home to be put on trains). If we push this issue too far to the "right", then the "right" loses power completely and we hand the country back to the "left. Then we get zero as we did for 8 years under Clinton.

[skeeter]

Chemotherapy makes you significantly more ill before actual health benefits kick in. That doesn't mean the chemotherapy wasn't a valuable step longterm.

In this case, the cancer will leave without chemotherapy. Simply eat right & get plenty of rest.

We already have laws on the books that will solve the problem. Enforce them.

[Tamzee]

We already have laws on the books that will solve the problem. Enforce them.

How much will it cost to round up 10 million illegals, warehouse them, provide legal assistance to each one as we process them for deportation, and then ship them batch by batch across the border.... that's just the financial cost. The New York Times, Newsweek, LA Times, CNN, will be there with cameras snapping and rolling.... we lose the White House anyways and President Kerry immediately flings the borders open completely.

No simple answers here no matter how much we'd like there to be.

[skeeter]

Round up, hell. Enforce Simpson Mazolli, go after the employers. Its already there, enforce it.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I'm sure they won't earn enough to provide health care for their family members, or themselves for that matter. Oh well, just raise the price on those who can pay and raise the medical insurance premiums. Great plan Georgie.

Of course that is what's going to happen. It's nothing but an amnesty scheme, that we'll all pay, for decades to come.