Bush Seeks to Mend Ties With Latin America

SANTIAGO, Chile - President Bush (news - web sites) renewed his support Sunday for changes to U.S. immigration law that would allow undocumented laborers to work legally, but stopped short of pledging to Mexican President Vicente Fox (news - web sites) that he would push for enaction of the nearly year-old proposal.

Bush made plain that terrorism was his top concern when it came to immigration issues.

"I explained to the president that we share a mutual concern to make sure our border is secure," Bush said after meeting with Fox on the sidelines of an economic summit here. "One way to make sure the border is secure is to have reasonable immigration policies. I assured him that we want people from Mexico treated with respect and dignity."

Sitting next to Fox for brief remarks to reporters, Bush did not say how he would press for the reforms, which he first proposed in January. The Republican-controlled Congress did not move on his proposal this year.

"I told President Fox that I had campaigned on this issue," Bush said, although he gave the proposal — unpopular with his conservative base — a very low profile in his re-election campaign. He mentioned it infrequently, mostly early on in the race, in Southwestern border states or before Hispanic audiences where advisers believed it could give him a boost.

In the session with journalists, Fox did not raise the immigration reform issue specifically, instead talking about his commitment to create jobs in Mexico that would help solve the problem from his side of the border. He did suggest further talks in Washington, hinting he would seek "some form of agreement between the two countries" on the matter.

Fox said afterward he expected meet with Bush in Washington this February or March to discuss migration and trade.

Asked on CNN whether Bush had promised to move the immigration legislation forward, Fox said: "What I got, and very firmly, is his will, his will to attend this issue."

While the administration said the temporary worker initiative would be a legislative priority next year, Bush did not set a deadline for getting it passed.

Bush's plan would allow undocumented workers to get visas to work legally, but the visas would be only temporary and provide no path to citizenship — an approach that Mexican officials have signaled they would embrace, even if reluctantly.

Bush and Fox avoided talking about subjects where they differ, such as Iraq (news - web sites) and Cuba, administration officials said.

With the meeting with Fox, followed by a state visit with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos later Sunday and a brief stop in Colombia on Monday, Bush is aiming to dispel the perception of U.S. neglect of Latin America and burnish an American reputation damaged by the Iraq war. It's a second-term diplomatic offensive in the region akin to his recent courting of Europe.

The high-profile meetings with the Chilean leader are Bush's Exhibit A for how free trade can benefit two countries, said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The two countries signed a free-trade pact last year. That could be helpful as Bush pushes for forward movement on a hemisphere-wide accord, resisted by countries such as Brazil and Venezuela.

The Colombia visit, and a brief "pull-aside" conversation with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo during the 21-nation Asian-Pacific economic summit, also could help the president focus on lowering trade barriers. The United States is in the process of negotiating an Andean free-trade pact covering those two nations as well as Ecuador.

Mostly, the several hours of meetings Monday with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, a conservative whose war against narcoterrorists and leftist rebels has received major funding from the United States, allows Bush to make a very visible statement about the U.S. commitment to fighting terrorism. It also was meant to highlight American contributions that have helped to bring some stability to a country ravaged by decades of guerrilla war, the official said.

"We put a lot of political support into Uribe," the official said. "We want to underscore that commitment and show that this is something that, number one, is paying big dividends for the American people, it's paying big dividends for the Colombian people."

The Iraq war is deeply unpopular in Latin America. The administration's commitment to open, freer economies is viewed by some as an unwelcome dictate from Washington. And there is a feeling that the needs of the Western Hemisphere have been neglected by the Bush administration.

El Presidente Jorge Arbusto is definitely caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he has to answer to his conservative constiuency in not giving the full amnesty deal to the illegal (Mexicans), i.e., full path towards citizenship. On the other hand, his buddy Vicente Fox wants the full deal so that he can export his poor to the USA. Regardless, the "immigration reform" (socialist doublespeak) will no doubt attract more illegal Mexicans from south of the border because they know once they get here, when their illegal status becomes legalized, there is always a way to get citizenship. El Presidente Jorge is wrong on this way, whether or not it's a full or partial amnesty package.

Fox can wish all he wants, but the American people have had enough. There is no way that we support any legalization of more illegal immigrants. They want to come into this country then they should do it the same way as other people in countries where you can't run, swim, and crawl across the border. And may I add, we will work with Fox the same way he worked with us on the WOT....by not helping!

El Presidente Jorge is wrong on this way, whether or not it's a full or partial amnesty package.
======
It is beyond WRONG. It is totally bad for America, our system of laws, our soverignty, the significance of citizenship, and the integrity of our borders and the safety of our land -- to say nothing of the FORCED FINANCIAL BURDEN UPON THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER.

This is the ONE BIG ISSUE I have with Jorge....it is wrong, but it will happen in some form, because IT IS THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE FOR THE WASHINGTON PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS. Consider too, they created the problem and now want to put it on the backs of the American citizen.

Enough is Enough.

Time for TOM TANCREDO 2008.

TOM TANCREDO 2008 = Las Hope to Save America

We compromised on principles and we ended up with Bill Al-CrookToon. If we compromised on our principles again, Hitlery Rotten CrookToon will be the result.

Mr Tancredo is a principled conservative, and he is Hell de-Beast's worst nightmare.

"Principle will, in... most... cases open the way for us to correct conclusion." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 1816. ME 15:71

"A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for a second; that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of the society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sin and suffering." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 1816. ME 15:40

It also was meant to highlight American contributions that have helped to bring some stability to a country ravaged by decades of guerrilla war, the official said.

"We put a lot of political support into Uribe," the official said. "We want to underscore that commitment and show that this is something that, number one, is paying big dividends for the American people, it's paying big dividends for the Colombian people."R
But turning around the U.S. reputation in South America will not be easy.

Why is it that we must always be seen to capitulate in the name of "Mending ties with Latin America"? How is it that these third world countries have the ability to dicatate to us? Why?

George Bush's love for all things Latino will be the end of America's dominance.

In the 2000 election, Bush said Latin America would be a prime focus of his foreign policy. Since 9/11 he has been occupied with terrorism at the expense of Latin America. However, China has aggressively cultivated a relationship with the region.

The US needs to start moving on this ASAP. A North American Free trade zone would benefit all parties involved.

Funny how the deeply racist Know Nothing wing of the Hard Right seems to ignore the 6000 new Border Patrol officers the Bush Administration has added in their usual hysterically ignorant ranting about "Bush's Illegals Amnesty"

Funny thing, in spewing their usual hate and fear of anyone a shade darker then them, the Know Nothings, continually refused to offer ANY rational, political viable alternatives to the Bush plan. Rather then ACTUALLY offer up some ideas to deal with the threat the Illegals underground poses to US National Security, the Know Nothings merely continue spewing their usual hate and bile at anyone who is ACTUALLY TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM. To bad the Know Nothings still don't realize how politically irrelevant and totally demented they are. Note to Know Nothings. Better brush up on your history. Amnesty is what Ronald Reagan past in 1986. What Bush is purposing is that we have a Guest Worker program to bring the illegals ABOVE ground where we can track them rather then leave them UNDERGROUND where they form a network terrorist could hide in. So how about THIS Know Nothings. Instead of wasting our time with your usually spew of hysteric hate speech, try to offer up some VIABLE, POLITICALLY DO ABLE, alternatives.

TOM TANCREDO 2008 = Las Hope to Save America

Dream on. Tancredo could not win a national election to ANYTHING. But given your continous hate spew at Bush. That is your hope isn't it newbie? Hope we will waste our time and energy bickering among ourselves so your heros Bil and Hil can ride back into the White House. Dream on Troll boy.

Know nothings. Nice try. Yes, Reagan did an amnesty -- and look what it has cost us. It was wrong then, and wrong now. The only hate in this issue is what OUR GOVERNMENT is doing to this country with illegal immigration you seem to be very much in favor of. And as far as solutions, we know what they are, and they are not PC, but PC-ness was not involved in 9/11 either, was it.

Sorry, the solution is well known, all aspects of it. And it will take guts from Washington to do it. What is right for this country and its REAL CITIZENS is not always right for politicians. That is the problem here -- it would have been fixed a long time ago if votes were not more important that the ingtegrity of this country.

What I have found interesting is the coincidence of the number 21. Yesterday, the Chilean dinner was for 21 guests. China spoke about sustainable development,(agenda 21). Last week Powell met in Mexico the 21st meeting on binational relations with the US.

As you stated the politicians created this problem and now want to put it on the backs of the American taxpayer. Not only will we be giving some form of amnesty to Mexicans but look at this thread and see what the politicians have in store for the American taxpayer. Powell and Bush are giving the Mexicans the whole enchilda.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1276892/posts?page=32#11

>>Funny how the deeply racist Know Nothing wing of the Hard Right seems to ignore the 6000 new Border Patrol officers the Bush Administration has added in their usual hysterically ignorant ranting about "Bush's Illegals Amnesty"<<

Would you care to revise the number to 1000. just to be a bit more accurate. Did you also know that hiring and overtime have become words of the past?

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.