Posted on 06/29/2005 8:55:24 AM PDT by Spiff
Bush's guest-worker proposal lured illegal entrants, poll says WIRE REPORTS
President Bush's proposal for a guest-worker program encouraged some people to enter the United States unlawfully because they believed they would be allowed to participate, according to a poll of illegal entrants detained by the Border Patrol.
Sixty-one percent of about 870 illegal entrants arrested by Border Patrol agents said they had heard of the program, and 45 percent said it influenced their decision to come to America illegally, according to the January survey.
The results were released Tuesday by Judicial Watch, a public-policy group that obtained the documents as part of a Freedom of Information Act request.
"This administration improperly withheld information it knew would be embarrassing," Judicial Watch President Thomas Fitton told reporters in Washington.
Bush on Jan. 7 called for changes to immigration rules, including the creation of a guest-worker program. Legislation has been introduced in the Senate and the House of Representatives that would create a new class of visas for unskilled workers and allow illegal immigrants to apply for legal residency after paying fines and submitting to background checks.
Bush's proposal "was broadly interpreted as an illegal immigration amnesty program around the country and abroad," Judicial Watch said in its report. The results of the survey, the group said, "indicated that President Bush's proposal had actually lured greater numbers of illegal immigrants to violate the law."
The Border Patrol survey interviewed 1,711 illegal entrants about the guest-worker program and provided results for about half of them to Judicial Watch. Most of the respondents were Mexican and had previously entered the United States illegally.
"I am coming for the Bush amnesty program," one of the illegal border crossers told the Border Patrol, according to Judicial Watch. "After hearing it on the news, I thought that I would be able to fix my papers," another said.
"It's amnesty when you tell people they are not going to be punished for violation of the law," Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado told reporters. "We should enforce the laws on our books or repeal them, not make a mockery of them."
After Bush unveiled his guest-worker proposal last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials were ordered not to discuss a surge in apprehensions of migrants trying to enter the country illegally.
"Do not talk about amnesty, increase in apprehensions, or give comparisons of past immigration reform proposals," said the one-page Customs and Border Protection public affairs guidance titled "White House Approved Talking Points Temporary Worker Program."
"Do not provide statistics on apprehension spikes or past amnesty data," the memo said.
Fitton charged Tuesday that the Bush administration sought to suppress information indicating that talk of the guest-worker plan spurred new illegal immigration.
...and I'm too fat because McDonald's sells me the meals I order...
I didn't kill that person, the gun did...
It's not my fault, the President of the United States made me cross the American border illegally...
PUKE! DOUBLE PUKE!!
The outrage is the millions of terrorists of the Marxist, Narco,Gang,Disease Carrier, and Islamic bent crossed the borders along with many violent
criminals... murderers,rapists,theives,
It's going to continue to get worse as long as there are cowards and partisan slaves afraid to rock the boat.
If President Bush had not made his proposed reforms public, but instead had gotten Congress to secretly pass the legislation they would be suing over the secrecy.
Like everything else, when the smoke clears, Judicial Watch will once again be proven to be fools.
The Bush Administration has one problem beginning from Day 1 of his Administration--their immigration policy stinks to high heaven. With the latest actions, the policy still stinks. What a weakness!
If it was interpreted as an amnisty program it's the media's fault, and a lot of the folks here as well. Bush clearly stated that it would NOT include amnisty.
You need to check those reading comprehension skills.
This is about the announcement of the reward-the-criminal-invaders scheme causing a massive influx of border intruders many of which cited their reason for crossing as the promise of amnesty given by the President. We knew this right after the President announced his support for the reward-the-criminal-invaders scheme and now documents have been uncovered which prove it. In addition, a memo has come to light which was a gag order on the Border Patrol to hide the poll and its results. Bad stuff.
"Your last example is in no way analogous to the first two. The point of this article wasn't to exculpate illegals for illegally entering the country. It was to expose the President for having encouraged them. And yes, encouraging crime is itself criminal."
I've got a thousand dollars with your name on if you can show me where in this article or otherwise; it says those in search of the guest worker program are exempt from current U.S. law.
Indeed they will!
If another attack occurs, and we find out that the individuals crossed the border illegally....Bush will have screwed the Republican party's political power for a long, long, long time.
I hope that's not the case, if something did happen we'd be done with electing these fake conservatives and get someone in the WH that seems genuine enough....George Allen!!
"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government,
1. The act of invading; the act of encroaching upon the rights or possessions of another; encroachment; trespass.
What about Ted Kennedy's proposal.
What about Hillary and all the dems voting for the ag bill so all illegals that work for a year could get amnesty. Gop blocked that bill.
What about Hillary railing against the real id act.
What about Howard Dean railing against Arnold for supporting the minutemen.
Hillary and Kerry are against the predator drones on the border that help us catch illegals.
The aclu and democrat enviornmentalists are fighting against a fence on the border.
Bill Clinton's policy on illegals was to drop them right back across the border for the few they did that with Bush at least has them sent inland.
Democrats are against Senator Kyl's plan for 10,000 more troops and Bush has said he is for that.
What exactly did Bill Clinton do for the borders. I can't name one democrat tough on illegals they want their votes, coddle to the aclu, and democrats get a third of their money from agriculture lobbyists that love illegals.
Democrats in states have pushed for laws to allow illegals to get in state tuition charges.
Democrats want illegals to get affirmative action.
The democrats are the enemy on this issue.
ping
If he did, then he lied. I don't remember him saying that it would not "include" amnesty. He may have said it was not an amnesty. Either way, he's misleading as it is a form of amnesty.
I don't demy that the Democrats are one of the enemies on this issue. There are also some in our own party that are the enemies on this issue (Kolbe, Flake, McCain, etc).
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