No, it's a plea bargain. It's what prosecutors do to criminals all day long, every day, across the U.S.
Pay a fine. Register you, your family, and your employer. Now you're on the grid.
Welcome to the wonderful world of law enforcement.
Posted on 11/10/2004 12:51:19 PM PST by VU4G10
(Washington, DC—November 10, 2004) It wasn't quite "Read my lips," but in the last presidential debate in Arizona, George W. Bush clearly stated that he would not support amnesty for illegal aliens. One week after being narrowly returned to office, the president has reneged on that pledge. Bush has dispatched Secretary of State Colin Powell to Mexico City to open discussions with the Mexican government about the size and scope of amnesty for illegal immigrants and for a massive new guest worker program.
"President Bush and Karl Rove have seemingly missed the message of their own, and the Republican Party's, success at the polls last week," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "In spite of a poor record on jobs, further erosion of the middle class, and staggering budget deficits, the people returned the GOP to office because they believed that the Republican Party was more in tune with them on values and respect for the law. One of those gut issues that led voters to ignore the administration's poor record in other areas was the belief that Bush and the Republicans would enforce laws against illegal immigration, not reward illegal immigrants and auction off every job in America to the lowest bidder."
The immigration plan being dusted off in Washington and Mexico City is essentially the same one the administration introduced last January, which proved to be so wildly unpopular among voters that they were forced to shelve it. "Who is the president seeking to reward by reintroducing his amnesty/guest worker proposal?" asked Stein. "Not middle class workers who made it very clear that they are feeling squeezed. Not the millions of families who have lost their health insurance benefits because their employers no longer feel that it is necessary to offer such benefits to attract American workers. Not Hispanic voters, whom polls indicate do not consider this to be high priority and who voted in significant numbers in favor of an Arizona ballot measure that bars illegal aliens from receiving most public benefits.
"The only interest group, besides the estimated 10 to 12 million illegal aliens and their families who could be in line for legal U.S. residency, are cheap labor employers who have come to believe that it is their right to have workers who will work at whatever wages they wish to pay," Stein said.
The latest White House announcement will touch off yet another surge in illegal immigration and further compromise homeland security, predicted FAIR. Last January, when the president first proposed this plan, the U.S. Border Patrol reported a marked increase in the number of people attempting to enter the U.S. illegally in order to benefit from the proposed amnesty. "Aside from betraying the interests of millions of people who voted for him because they believed the president shared their core values, this irresponsible renewal of talk of amnesty will betray those who voted for him because they believed the Republicans were the party that could be entrusted to protect homeland security. You cannot have homeland security and chaos at the border. You cannot have homeland security while granting amnesty to millions of people with only minimal background checks. And you certainly cannot have amnesty and unlimited guest workers, and preserve a solid middle class," asserted Stein.
Contradiction in terms. Blanket amnesty means unconditional for all.
Uh hmmm. If that's true perhaps he should have checked the going rate before he moved.
Really!? And what other laws are we going to "never" enforce? And why are Republicans supporting this non-enforcement of our laws? For a few votes!!? To coddle the cheap labor special interests!!?
I truly feel betrayed over this. I thought Bush heard us loudly earlier in the year and that he'd dropped this stupid and very unpopular plan. I worked hard for his re-election and was thrilled when he won. I persuaded several conservatives angry over his earlier talk about amnesty to vote for him when they wanted to write in Tancredo or some such nonsense. I can tell you that the Border Patrol agents feel betrayed when Bush or his administration talks about this amnesty plan. They've told me themselves that they feel that way. What if Bush was similarly betraying our uniformed soldiers instead of just our uniformed border guards? As Republicans we just CAN'T do this! We can't support it!
The 2004 Republican Party Platform says:
We oppose amnesty because it would have the effect of encouraging illegal immigration and would give an unfair advantage to those who have broken our laws.But this plan IS a form of amnesty!
If someone - the illegal alien or the employer - chooses not to register and participate and they get caught - they will or they should receive the appropriate criminal penalties. But if they register, pay the administrative fee, and participate in this plan, then they don't receive the penalty for being an illegal alien or hiring an illegal alien or for having hired illegal alien in the past. That is amnesty.
It is the same as if the government wanted to know where all the illegal machine guns were. There's been a criminal penalty for owning or selling a machine gun for some time. Let's say the government came up with a plan to let you register your machine gun and that you could own or sell that illegal machine gun only under their new terms. You wouldn't get criminally charged for owning it or selling it only if you registered and participated in the new plan. But if you didn't register or you did it after the deadline you would still be criminally liable for ownership or sale of the illegal machine gun. That would be a gun amnesty plan.
These people must be in a drug induced dreamworld. There will be no damn enforcement of anything!
The point is; You don't get to choose.
People who base their decisions on what they hear in the media deserve to be in a state of panic.
I'm in Massachusetts and all the lawn care guys and snow plow guys are Mexicans. All the women Mexicans work at Burger King,McDonald's,and Dunkin Donuts.
They will also no longer be liable for their prior criminal activities. That IS AMNESTY.
"Who believes that after three years in the US and with the anchor babies that will surely result that anyone will be returning to Mexico or anywhere else. "
I would hope that any new immigration plan would include a provision that denies automatic citizenship to the babies born here of non-citizen parents.
ping
They will do both. And now, we will just be stuck with two classes of illegals. And more on the way.
Bush said no blanket amnesty; he says what he means and means what he says, or haven't you been paying attention?
It seems word for word with what Bush proposed in his first year until 9/11 forced him to withdraw his guest worker/amnesty.
Bush submitted his "plan" in January of 2003 and never said another word about it; it's called putting it out there for discussion; he didn't submit a bill, did he? There are plenty other bills up there that are just sitting there, too. Or did you notice that?
Redefining illegality does not make it right.
The only people redefining anything are those of you who wish to make ANY DISCUSSION of anything short of shotting them all at the border unacceptable;
Who believes that after three years in the US and with the anchor babies that will surely result that anyone will be returning to Mexico or anywhere else.
Or is supporting Bush all you care about?
Since you've only been here 8 days and would have no way of knowing who or what I support (if you're not a retread), I will assume that you use that taunt to reply to anybody who disagrees with you. Quite weak, IMO.
And I will stand with George W. Bush; at least he's trying to do SOMETHING about it, besides bitch and moan.
"This is why the approach needs to be part of an approach which limits the problem at the source...ie...the border itself."
Im not clear here...what I meant to say was that the solution to the illegal immigration problem needs to be well thought out at all levels, and include a front end restriction...using technology and manpower at the borders....all the way to the back end...which is the penalties given to American companies who break the law.
In the middle is perhaps some sort of guest worker program, maybe Tancredo's, or something similar to it.
No, it's a plea bargain. It's what prosecutors do to criminals all day long, every day, across the U.S.
Pay a fine. Register you, your family, and your employer. Now you're on the grid.
Welcome to the wonderful world of law enforcement.
No but it does mention a method by which illegals can be granted legal status. Just words, but they mean things.
Let's just annex Mexico and be done with it.
It's clear though, that he intends to let them stay regardless of what the American people want, or, should expect from our government (the enforcement of our current laws). There are enough people in power that see this influx of illegals from the south as a positive for our society. I don't see it and neither do most Americans.
The options are mutually exclusive. Either they register or they remain anonymous, not both (certainly not for the same people).
Are you still claiming to know what most Americans want better than the President who just won more votes than Reagan?!
To be honest, it isn't what you read or didn't read that matters. The Bush plan is being portrayed in Mexico, in the Mexican press, as amnesty. The perception of amnesty, whether it exists or not, is all the incentive they need to flood my back yard.
That got two mighty fine people killed two weekends ago, and I'm getting fed up with it.
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