Posted on 08/28/2005 9:13:00 PM PDT by Crackingham
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 illegally in this country.
"They're trying to split the baby," Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, said of 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 believe the economy needs those workers, and conservatives whose priority is to clamp down on illegal immigration. The White House hopes to have a detailed proposal to Congress in late September or early October.
McCain, who ran against Bush for the 2000 GOP nomination and might seek the White House in 2008, is sponsoring a bill with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, 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 Sen. Jon Kyl, also an Arizona Republican, would create two-year visas and require that guest workers and illegal immigrants 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."
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
More border guards.
I don't think he has said anything else though.
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."
It would work if the law stated that anyone that didn't leave and come back into the country legally - would be deported when caught and not permitted legal re-entry under any program for a stated period of time - like 10 years to never.
This is why I didn't vote for this A$$hole.
Not one illegal alien should be allowed to stay in the States until all those applying to come here legally are here first.
If they propose any amnesty..then any politician in office when they came should be thrown out.
Amnesty only encourages more to come and wait for the next amnesty..after living in the developing world most of my working career..that is a given.
NO AMNESTY!! Or NO VOTE!!
"It would work if the law stated that anyone that didn't leave and come back into the country legally - would be deported when caught and not permitted legal re-entry under any program for a stated period of time - like 10 years to never."
That's a good idea. Tell the president your idea at:
president@whitehouse.gov
Compromise? He is compromising our country -- and he is playing games? WTF ??? Still wants to reward illegal criminal invaders ???
This really sucks and Bush's domestic policies are beyond terrible and irresponsible. Sorry Bush-bots BUT THAT IS REAL TRUTH.
Too little; too late. If you're here illegally--send them back to whatever country they came from. Illegal is illegal in my humble opinion.
I'll take a cost increase in lettuce and tomatoes because I'm taking a much bigger hit on my taxes by our government letting the illegals get welfare, have their kids attend school with no questions asked, and get free healthcare. Hell, they're treated better than the citizens.
I'd rather pay $5.00/lb. for lettuce and tomatoes and fix the damn immigration problem already.
This might sound like "damning with faint praise," but as bad as GW has turned out to be on immigration, it's obvious that McCain would've been 10x worse.
Bad idea. We must not legalize any illegals. It only encourages more of them.
We should greatly increase the Border Patrol and upgarde their weapons. We should put the National Guard on the borders. We should build an electrified, barbed-wire fence, very high, and very deep, and put a moat behind it. We should have surveillance helicopters and cameras. We should severely punish those who employ illegals: stiff ajil sentences, massive fines, and permanent disqualification from the business they're in. We should begin deportations. And we should stop all aid to state and local governments that hinder the enforcement of immigration law.
HE IS MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE AS RONALD REAGAN!!!!
THAT IMMIGRATION REFORM FAILED!!!!
Somebody is playing president Bush for a sucker if this is true.
We already have rolling amnesty for those who "hide" for 10 years.
clearing out the amnesty rolls does no good. It just means the remaining know they can FLOOOD the usa and yet another SUCKER amnesty clearing will happen.
I'm for the war on terror (even though it needs a different name) but Bush's domestic policies are terrible, especially on immigration. Some poll told him that the hispanic vote made the difference in the election, so now he's going to throw them a bone at the expense of national soveriegnty. Southwestern states are literally in a state of emergency because the illegals are turning the southern border towns into meth gangland. Is this a solution? No, this will make it a thousand times worse.
Hello! They are undocumented not Visa violators. How will we know what date they arrvied? That means Aug 03, 04, 05, or any other date up to, well, until the border is sealed and that stops illegal “undocumented” immigrants from coming here.
Duh, what makes you think people who commit a crime to come here wouldn’t lie about the date they arrived?
Besides that, I am insulted to think that the AP or anyone for that matter thinks by reporting such a petty, irrelevant offer that us "xenophobic, anti-immigrant, racist" white people would put away our torches and pitch forks, stop complaining and all go home.
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