Bush, Fox, promote plan to ease immigration laws

Knight Ridder Newspapers ^ | 6 March 2004 | Ron Hutcheson

[JackelopeBreeder]

Crawford, Texas - President Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox joined forces Saturday to promote Bush's plan for easing immigration laws, as Bush acknowledged that the proposal faces a tough time in Congress.

Standing side-by-side in bright sunshine at Bush's Texas ranch, the two leaders said Bush's plan for a new temporary worker program would help both countries by eliminating the underground market for Mexican workers. The proposal would let an estimated 8 million workers who are in the United States illegally gain legal status as guest workers.

"The people who come to this country make a significant contribution to the American economy," Fox told reporters.

Bush's plan, announced in January, has raised expectations in Mexico and among illegal workers in this country, but it has little chance of passing Congress this year. Republican critics say the proposal would reward illegal immigrants; Democrats complain that it does not do enough to help foreign workers become U.S. citizens.

[navyblue]

25 posts as of this post. 25 people who care about the future of this Country.

Count me as no. 26! IMO, our only hope is to be sure we have as many conservatives in the Congress to have a divided government and Bush can lose then.

But this is nothing. If he gets re-elected, just wait and see how fast the country goes into the crapper if he gets his FTAA up and running.

World system, "new" economy and Globalization - here we come!

[janetgreen]

Your state of North Carolina sounds like California. I can't believe it! We ordinary white people are now the minority in California because of Mexican and South American illegal aliens. They're coming out of the woodwork, and we're paying the bills, it's sick.

[Porterville]

solely into a "racist," anti-Mexican issue

Wow, that's an interesting perspective, I've only been at the FR for about 3 years, I know the usual suspects and their usual screeds.

[dennisw]

We don't need easier immigration laws ... we need easier deportation laws.

[MissouriForBush]

Think harder.

[janetgreen]

If this appeals to you, vote Stu Cohen in 2004

You have my vote, Stu! Count on janetgreen from Mexifornia (formerly California).

[Porterville]

Your state of North Carolina sounds like California. I can't believe it! We ordinary white people are now the minority in California because of Mexican and South American illegal aliens. They're coming out of the woodwork, and we're paying the bills, it's sick.

36 million Hispanics- 28 million legal Hispanics, 300 million citizens, 8 million illegal Hispanics, 72-75% Anglo-Americans.. I think your stats are a little goofy.

[JackelopeBreeder]

It is evident you do not live on the border and do not have to put up with the daily dangers.

Paco may turn into a veritable Paragon of Virtue by the time he reaches your location, but when he passes through Cochise County he is at the very least a monumental pain in the ass.

Quite often he turns criminal while passing through here. Vandalism, burglary, theft, car-jacking, mugging, rape. Acting as mules for the drug smugglers. Leaving millions of pounds of trash and human waste all over our landscape.

[TomasUSMC]

El Presidente Bush es gran amigo de Mexico. Mexico mucho mucho love para Presidente Bush. Gracias Presidente Bush por ser un amigo bueno de Generalisimo Fox. ARRiba Aztalan.

You people need to understand The reason, that our President is bending over backwards to please our all powerful superpower neighbor to the south is because they are the ones who are helping and supporting us soooooo much in the War on Terror. Right? No? But then why?

Don't worry be happy and Vote Bush anyway.

12 million invaders awarded a pardon and more to follow because of continued unsecured borders is nothing to worry about. Remember Kerry is much worse. Yep, Kerry will probably let in 20 million. Okay. Now I understand.

Vote for No Borders - Vote Bush or Kerry.
Vote for Millions of invaders - Vote Bush or Kerry.
Vote to ban automatic weapons - Vote Bush or Kerry.
Vote for Outsourcing, Nafta, H1B visas - Vote Bush or Kerry.
go ahead and add to the list please...

No Border - No Vote, Si Border - Si Vote

[Columbine]

But this is nothing. If he gets re-elected, just wait and see how fast the country goes into the crapper if he gets his FTAA up and running.

World system, "new" economy and Globalization - here we come!

Well hey, once you get Kerry elected none of that will happen, right?

[Porterville]

Paco... is that like William? They use to say the same about the Irish. Californian, born and raised.

[Joe Hadenuf]

What Bush is doing with Fox makes a complete mockery of our borders and our citizenship. I expect this kind of garbage from Democrats, but I am OUTRAGED to see it coming from Republicans.

[moehoward]

bump that

[MissouriForBush]

You care more about playing the race card and it colors your comments and "perspective."

[bluefish]

I can only thank God that the other side has it's share of people just as short-sighted and foolish as to abandon their party over a single pet peeve issue.

Who said it was a single issue? More like the straw that broke the camels back for many here Jorge. Besides, allowing full-blown illegal immigration to take place with nary an effort to stop it - indeed, encouraging it! - is not a small pet peeve. It is an economic nuclear bomb. Your comment is like saying people shouldn't be upset just because of a single bomb - if that bomb happened to take out an entire city!

[Joe Hadenuf]

You don't seem to understand that working out a guest worker program to identify people already HERE is a good thing...

Only a fool would believe this, and only a fool would believe this is what this "plan" is all about.

[Porterville]

How do you propose getting rid of between 8-12 million illegal, undocumented, unknown, unregistered, non tax paying aliens? That is my question to you.

How is your proposal better then what Bush has to offer in finding out who is already here?

[Missouri]

easing immigration laws

easing immigration laws makes me uneasy. We already have the most generous legal immigration policy in the world. There won't be much of the store left to give away when Presidente Fox gets through with us.

[Porterville]

Every single story about Bush and illegal aliens you give the same old line... guess what, it isn't all about tinfoil and conspiracy. The Rothchilds don't run Mexico.

[Jorge]

Your views must be different than mine. Let me make a quick, personal list.

Pros -
A few stands for the pro-life cause.
Tax cuts.

That's it?
Either you aren't paying attention or you have a very short list of conservative values.

Let me add a few items you seem to have missed;

Banned Partial Birth Abortion.

Reversed Clinton's move to strike Reagan's anti-abortion Mexico Policy

Killed the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty

Killed U.S. involvement in the International Criminal Court

Killed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off all of the electricity surplus to California.

Killed Clinton's "ergonomic" rules that OSHA was about to implement; rules that would have shut down every home business in America.

Killed the U.S. - CCCP ABM Treaty that was preventing the U.S. from deploying our ABM defenses

Pushed through THREE raises for our military.

Increased Defense Dept funding which had deteriorated during the previous 8 years

Stopped foreign aid that would be used to fund abortions.

Supported and upheld the ban on abortions at military hospitals

Signed E.O. reversing Clinton's policy of not requiring parental consent for abortions under the Medical Privacy Act

Currently pushing for full immunity from lawsuits for our national gun manufacturers

Successfully executed 2 wars: Afghanistan and Iraq. 50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes now live in freedom

Executed a WAR ON TERROR by getting world-wide cooperation to track funds/terrorists (has cut off much of the terrorist's funding and captured or killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network)

Brought back our EP-3 intel plane and crew from China without any bribes or bloodshed

Nominated strong, conservative judges to the judiciary.

Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary clean-up of the national forests in order to reduce fire danger.

Signed 2 income tax cuts ---- 1 of which was the largest Dollar value tax cut in world history

Reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains

In process of eliminating IRS marriage penalty.

Cons -
Misguided War on Terror "Misguided"?
What are you talking about?