Posted on 08/27/2005 10:55:25 PM PDT by Happy2BMe
By RON FOURNIER
Associated Press
PHOENIX - Struggling to pacify his party's warring wings, President Bush is moving toward allowing illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. before February 2004 to qualify for guest-worker visas. People smuggled in after then would be deported.
State leaders in Arizona and New Mexico have stepped up pressure on the Bush administration and the Republican-led Congress to better police U.S. borders and deal with an estimated 10 million people who are living in the country illegally.
"They're trying to split the baby," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in reference to the White House plan, "and I don't think they can do that."
Bush and his advisers are caught between their supporters in the business sector, who think the economy needs the workers, and conservatives whose priority is to clamp down on illegal immigration. The White House hopes to send a detailed proposal to Congress in late September or early October.
McCain, who ran against Bush for the 2000 GOP nomination and may seek the White House in 2008, is sponsoring a bill with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., that would create 400,000 three-year visas for guest workers.
The legislation has the flexibility to add more in the future and would let undocumented workers stay in the U.S. while they apply.
A competing plan by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., would create two-year visas and require people to leave the U.S. before they can apply for the chance to work legally in the country.
Conservative House Republicans tend to favor Kyl's tougher approach. McCain mocks it.
"Turn yourself in so we can send you back to Mexico," said McCain, throwing his head back in laughter during an interview at his Arizona office last week. "It's not going to happen."
The White House seems to agree with McCain.
According to administration and congressional officials who took part in a series of White House meetings this summer, Bush does not favor requiring illegal immigrants to be sent home to apply for the visas.
In a nod to his conservative base, however, the president has rejected a part of the McCain-Kennedy bill that the White House thinks would put illegal immigrants on an automatic track to citizenship, the officials said.
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"Turn yourself in so we can send you back to Mexico," said McCain, throwing his head back in laughter during an interview at his Arizona office last week.
this . .
According to administration and congressional officials who took part in a series of White House meetings this summer, Bush does not favor requiring illegal immigrants to be sent home to apply for the visas.or this . . .
In a nod to his conservative base, however, the president has rejected a part of the McCain-Kennedy bill that the White House thinks would put illegal immigrants on an automatic track to citizenship, the officials said.
Realistically this is out of control. How do we round up a few million illegals and send them back? Yea that's the right thing to do but it won't happen. A guestworker program may be a good thing but it's missing the biggure picture. We'll still have non guestworkers.
Good for us, I believe, constituencies and congress are going to dictate policy on the border. I love President Bush, however, when it comes to "illegal immigration" policies, as with most Americans, I part with him.
[Bush and his advisers are caught between their supporters in the business sector, who think the economy needs the workers, and conservatives whose priority is to clamp down on illegal immigration.]
This "guest worker" status for illegal aliens is (sort of) the "carrot" half of the correct approach, but where is the needed "stick"?
some reason why they are mutually exclusive ?
( even assuming that the sources are correct )
" . . but where is the needed "stick"?
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This is definitely a stick . .
Bottom line - Bush and McCain are both immigration leftists, are both for amnesty and both for the eventual merge of the USA with Mexico.
I think the current options/proposals on what to do as presented by leadership are a smokescreen to placate the voters until more dramatic changes can be made (#8).
Well, I say Mr. Tom Tancredo is the man I'm standing behind for President.
"Since more Mexicans (a people and culture I love so much I had learnt to speak their language fluently) have come into the US surpassing the total quota of immigrants, people in other nations such as Vietnam have been told that it's a waste of time to even get into the line to apply for a VISA to the Land of Opportunity.In fact, in Ho Chi Minh City it is well known that a person who follows the law and applies for a VISA to come to the United States has less than a 5% chance of actually being accepted by the US government.
So far, so good! Ditto.
Well, I suppose that explains why you post opinions you have no intention of supporting to obscure the real reason you are posting them...
;~)
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... and that explains your earlier post just where ?
Ohhh, boy! Now you've done it!
I can already hear them saying something about Pat Buchanan or kissing up to Clinton. Be ready to be accused of aiding the left, being told that you ought to go play with Cindy Sheehan, and being accused of killing the Messiah. Alright, I added the last one. Nobody's said that yet. I'm just trying to think ahead, that's all.
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