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Bush to push for more lenient immigration laws
KRT ^ | 3.23

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."


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; Mexico; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; bayroidgone; bordersecurity; bush43; bushamnesty; coexerlastoblguy; illegalaliens; immigration; immigrationreform; vicentefox
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To: c-b 1
"As in every election, there will be those who tell you what you want to hear, with no intention of following through if elected."

Doesn't change the destruction of America by President Bush. In a few years there could be 35 million peasants with their hand out, and then it will be game over. Or is it game over now?

41 posted on 03/23/2005 5:29:25 PM PST by Afronaut (Press two for English.)
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To: COEXERJ145
"I'm going to laugh when you vote for Hillary because "she has promised to control the border" and then she turns around and grants full amnesty to every illegal in the country."

she wants to be the next Reagan?

42 posted on 03/23/2005 5:34:12 PM PST by KneelBeforeZod ( I'm going to open Cobra Kai dojos all over this valley!)
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Bush is wasting valuable time on this issue when he should be doing something for terri shiavo.


43 posted on 03/23/2005 5:34:29 PM PST by KneelBeforeZod ( I'm going to open Cobra Kai dojos all over this valley!)
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To: ken21
until americans have more children, this will continue.

Huh? What the heck are you talking about???

44 posted on 03/23/2005 5:40:55 PM PST by raybbr
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Comment #45 Removed by Moderator

To: DoughtyOne

We already do that, school buses ...


46 posted on 03/23/2005 5:49:01 PM PST by John Lenin
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To: KneelBeforeZod

I am waiting for another girl to fall into a well


47 posted on 03/23/2005 5:50:20 PM PST by Afronaut (Press two for English.)
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To: raybbr

illegal immigration took off about 18 years after the birthrate dropped below replacement. replacement = 2.1.

brief history:

it was not uncommon for the ww2 generation to have 3,4,and even 5 kids.

this ended in the early 1960s when the boomer generation came of age with feminism, abortion, and birth control.

the american birthrate declined to 1.7 in 1978.

in the late 1970s and early 1980s employers lacked burger flippers, landscapers, maids, and entry level blue collar workers. the same decade, the 1980s, saw illegal immigration really take off.

even today on the radio i heard president bush say, if there are jobs that americans won't do, and there are employers and immigrants, then they should be allowed to work.

second issue:

in the 1980s the reagan administration was fighting the contra wars in central america. meanwhile, mexico was near a communist revolution. the last thing the reagans administration wanted was a revolution on our border. reagan sent military tanks and equipment to mexico. illegal immigration to the u.s. was seen as a way to let the steam blow off in order to avoid a revolution.



48 posted on 03/23/2005 5:52:22 PM PST by ken21 ( if you didn't see it on tv, then it didn't happen. /s)
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To: John Lenin

Yep, we do that. What I'm refering to is sending buses across the border to bring them in. That'll be next.


49 posted on 03/23/2005 6:08:39 PM PST by DoughtyOne (US socialist liberalism would be dead without the help of politicians who claim to be conservative.)
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To: ken21
What does all that mean? I don't get it? Are you saying that we can't survive as a nation without "burger flippers, landscapers, maids, and entry level blue collar workers."?

Secondly, why doesn't Bush go to countries like Poland, Germany, China, etc. to look for immigrants? Why only mexico and South America?

50 posted on 03/23/2005 6:10:11 PM PST by raybbr
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To: DoughtyOne

Hey, if we open the borders maybe 10 million of them will go home for Easter, than we can put up a laser beam with a thousand volts on the border. Guy can dream, can't he ?


51 posted on 03/23/2005 6:11:27 PM PST by John Lenin
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To: ambrose

When is Bill Clinton ever going to leave office?


52 posted on 03/23/2005 6:12:37 PM PST by dagnabbit (Vincente Fox's opening line at the Mexico-USA summit meeting: "Bring out the Gimp!")
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To: ken21; All

Plus the fact that the natives has this attitude that a they are too good for an entry level job.


53 posted on 03/23/2005 6:24:48 PM PST by KevinDavis (Let the meek inherit the Earth, the rest of us will explore the stars!)
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To: raybbr

actually, the decision to change racial quotas in legal immigration was made in 1965, from european to 3rd world.

incidentally, some people are forecasting that europeans will again immigrate to the states in the next decade. stay tuned.

in the 1960's u.s. demographers were aware that a shortage of workers would occur in the 1970s and 1980s due to the baby boomer generation's lack of children.

it's true that every industrialized nation eventually tires of having kids. europe's native population is declining, the japanese are declining, etc. people value having a new car, new home, new this, new that over paying for kids. even the children of illegals in california have less kids when they grow up; they want to buy things.

>>>> i'm saying that you cannot run our kind of economy with a deficit birthrate.

the u.s. government knows that, and that's why nothing serious is ever done about illegals.

watch for the population projections by the u.s. government. these tell you a lot about what the "decision makers" are thinking. for example, the latest population projection for the united states for the year 2050 i saw this week was 400,000,000. >>>>> does that indicate to you that our leaders are going to close the borders? (our current population is 296,000,000.)


54 posted on 03/23/2005 6:25:10 PM PST by ken21 ( if you didn't see it on tv, then it didn't happen. /s)
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To: ambrose

Instead of pushing for a few more border patrol agents, Bush is pushing for wide-open borders. The reason: The Co-President of the United States, Vicente Fox, told Bush he'd better open up the borders, or else.


55 posted on 03/23/2005 6:35:13 PM PST by Holden Magroin
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To: ambrose
The president also echoed Foxs criticism of citizen groups in border states that seek to catch and detain illegal immigrants entering the United States.

(Though close observation revealed Fox's lips moving at the time.)

"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."

("A real small border patrol whose budget, size and activities I purposesly restrict, the President added, while leaning strangely forward on a podium and thrusting open his arms as if to impart more meaning to each repeated banality and platitude.)

56 posted on 03/23/2005 6:46:43 PM PST by dagnabbit (Vincente Fox's opening line at the Mexico-USA summit meeting: "Bring out the Gimp!")
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To: ambrose
I agree with President Bush's policies on every other issue, but when it comes to immigration, to paraphrase Bill Murray in the training scene in Stripes, "There is something very, very wrong" with the man.
57 posted on 03/23/2005 6:48:08 PM PST by benjaminjjones
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To: swampfox98; ambrose
Bush said his goal is to match workers with jobs.

Yep, that's what he keeps saying...... but he never gets around to 'splaining how much this US GOV'T EMPLOYMENT AGENCY is going to cost us TAX PAYERS.

Sheesh.......years of taxpayers 'footing the bills' for illegals, gov't now wants to make 'em legal, & have taxpayers also fund them an EMPLOYMENT AGENCY.

58 posted on 03/23/2005 6:48:29 PM PST by txdoda ("Navy Brat")
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To: KevinDavis
Plus the fact that the natives has this attitude that a they are too good for an entry level job.

The indians think they are too good for this kind of work? I have never heard that before.

59 posted on 03/23/2005 6:53:07 PM PST by raybbr
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To: Mears

You are irresponsible.


60 posted on 03/23/2005 7:04:38 PM PST by jveritas
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