Posted on 03/23/2005 3:58:02 PM PST by ambrose
Posted on Wed, Mar. 23, 2005
Bush to push for more lenient immigration laws
By RON HUTCHESON
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WACO, Texas - President Bush told Mexican President Vicente Fox on Wednesday that he would keep pushing for more lenient immigration laws, but said he couldn't guarantee that Congress would go along.
Bush renewed his commitment to a guest-worker program during a daylong summit with Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. The leaders pledged to work together on a host of issues, but they acknowledged some of the differences that have strained relations in the past.
Bush's failure to win congressional approval for more lenient immigration laws has been a sore point with Fox.
"You've got my pledge - I'll continue working on it," Bush told Fox during a joint news conference here at Baylor University. "You don't have my pledge that Congress will act because I'm not a member of the legislative branch."
Bush's guest-worker plan would let several million immigrants who are in the country illegally become legal by getting temporary work visas. The idea has stalled in Congress because of opposition from both parties.
Some Republicans oppose Bush's call for more open borders. Some Democrats think Bush is more concerned about providing cheap labor for businesses than he is about making life easier for foreign workers.
A study released earlier this week concluded that the illegal immigrant population has reached an all-time high of nearly 11 million. The study by the Pew Hispanic Center, a private research group based in Washington, also found that undocumented Mexicans accounted for 57 percent of all illegal entrants.
Bush said his goal is to match workers with jobs.
"That job ought to be filled on a legal basis, no matter where the person comes from. That makes sense," Bush said. The president also echoed Fox's criticism of citizen groups in border states that seek to catch and detain illegal immigrants entering the United States.
"I'm against vigilantes," Bush said. "That's why you got a border patrol, and they ought to be in charge of enforcing the border."
After their news conference, Fox and Martin joined Bush at his 1,600-acre ranch in nearby Crawford. Taking advantage of a beautiful spring day, the president took his guests on a tour of the property and then hosted a luncheon of grilled chicken breasts and fried shrimp, followed by chocolate chip brownies with vanilla ice cream.
In a joint statement, the three leaders announced the creation of a "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America," which is intended to encourage cooperation on problems ranging from terrorism to traffic jams at border crossings.
As part of the effort, officials from the three governments will work together over the next three months to come up with steps to improve security, commerce and the quality of life throughout North America.
But for all the talk of cooperation, Bush and his guests remained apart on some issues. Martin flatly ruled out Canadian participation in Bush's plan for a missile defense system for North America, telling a Canadian journalist that "the file is closed" on that issue.
Martin also prodded Bush to ease U.S. import restrictions on Canadian lumber and Canadian beef. Some Canadian lumber is subject to trade duties, and beef imports have been banned because of concerns about mad-cow disease.
"Look, we've got differences," Bush said. "I understand why people disagree with certain decisions I have made, but that doesn't prevent us from cooperating."
Thanks for looking out for us Bush..
Free-Trade-open-borders bump!
Exactly how can our immigration laws get any more lenient? It doesn't matter what kind of laws we may have on the books if they're not enforced. I would say allowing several million people to immigrate illegally with no repercussions is pretty darn lenient!
The only way it could be more lenient, is if we sent the buses to pick them up.
Let them come in legally and screened then go home.
until americans have more children, this will continue.
un-fargin-believable -
I feel betrayed---doesn't Bush EVER ask the people who voted for him how they feel?
** President Bush told Mexican President Vicente Fox on Wednesday that he would keep pushing for more lenient immigration laws..**
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As if our immigration laws have ANY meaning??? As if they are enforced?? As if the Congress appears to even care??? This is a sham and travesty upon the American people of untold proportions.
Not a flame, but what part of "There ought to be limits to freedom" did you not understand?
"I'm against vigilantes," Bush said. "That's why you got a border patrol, and they ought to be in charge of enforcing the border."
And Bush sides with the illegals and Fox against Americans (vigilantes) again.
Disgraceful!
In 2008 whoever is for closing and enforcing our borders got my vote.This is bull.
No more Illegals; No more making illegals legal by changing the law of the land.
Somebody give me just a small reason why we should be over-run by foreigners; have open borders for terrorist to cross while American soldiers die elsewhere to keep them away.
Real obvious wrong.
That must be why Jorge wanted to make sure they had all the funding they needed to enforce the border. /sarcasm
WASHINGTON - March 10, 2005 - A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including many from Texas, is pressing for money to hire thousands of new border guards that were approved by President Bush but then left out of the 2006 budget.
The letter [written by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin] was signed by 44 representatives, including 16 Texans. The signers include Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, and Ted Poe, R-Houston, Ron Paul, R-Surfside, and Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands.
At issue is the disparity between the border security provisions in the intelligence reform bill Bush signed in mid-December and the 2006 budget that he released in February.
The reform package called for 10,000 more border patrol agents to be hired over the next five years, 800 additional interior investigators and 8,000 more detention beds.
The president's budget requested enough money for 210 border agents, 143 investigators and 1,920 beds.
The White House had promised that these "important steps would be fully funded in order to protect the nations borders, apprehend potential terrorists and detain them pending deportation," according to the letter.
snip
Source: Lawmakers pressuring Bush for more Border Patrol agents
Bush just doesn't get it. I hope Tancredo runs in 2008. If he doesn't take the GOP primary he should run as an independant. Maybe that would scare the GOP into taking illegal immigration seriously.
That's the point but too many people go off 1/2 cocked and believe what they read on FR or from people like Tancredo without checking the facts for themselves.
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