Bush Doesn't Get It on Immigration

Human Events ^ | Febuary.1, 2006 | Congressman Tom Tancredo

[Reagan Man]

Sadly, the President missed yet another great opportunity to correct his course on immigration reform tonight. The President should have clarified his plan and joined the forces in Congress holding the line against amnesty. Instead, Americans will have to wait and wonder where the President stands on securing our borders, while he pushes for guest workers.

The President must enforce our immigration laws before we consider any guest worker proposal. Until we bring law and order to our border anarchy, importing more workers into the equation is out of the question.

In 1986, Congress passed a blanket amnesty on the promise that border security would come later. We all remember the ’86 bait-and-switch, and we won’t be fooled again. There is no way to determine if we need guest workers, and there is no way to gain control of this broken system until we seal our borders and control our country’s interior.

A Gallup poll released this week showed that a mere 25 percent of Americans approve of President Bush’s handling of immigration—his worst approval rating of all major issue areas that were surveyed.

The House’s get-tough immigration bill is in the Senate’s hands, where it is in jeopardy of being dropped or – worse yet – turned into a blanket amnesty. From his bully pulpit, President Bush could have broken the Washington stalemate and secured the most significant immigration reform in a decade. But tonight we got more of the same—more stalling, more roadblocks, more lax enforcement with no action in sight.

Border security is not an issue from which President Bush should run away. An overwhelming majority of Americans demand that their government secure the border now, and if we restore law and order, Republicans will be the political winners. As the President does in so many other areas, he must not retreat but lead.

[Politicalmom]

Punishing lawbreakers is SO unreasonable.

Unbelievable.

[colorcountry]

I hate to tell you this, but many hispanics are white.

[usmc_chris]

Point noted, but I don't see Vicente Fox and those in his social circle making the trek north. You may notice a difference between him and the man standing outside the trailer park looking for a day job.

[colorcountry]

Well, day labor looks like day labor...no matter what the color is.

Hispanic is a language...possibly a culture...but not a race.

I have an Hispanic surname through marriage. My children are about as blue/green-eyed and blonde as they come. It frightens me that my family could be the target of hate just because their ancestors came from Spain.

[usmc_chris]

How this became a discussion about your family I know not. My concern, as the concern of the majority of those on this board, is with this country being overrun by poor and uneducated aliens that do not share our history, our cultural assumptions, and, in the case of Mexican immigrants, may indeed harbor an irredentist agenda.

[Reagan Man]

So, instead of addressing the issue of my points, you post a press release from the White House that is just more of the same rhetorical BS. Working on the margins is not solving the problems of illegal immigration.

>>>>Now, while I wish the serious problem of illegal immigration could be solved in an instant by one man, I am not so ignorant as to believe that. To say that President Bush has done "nothing" is not a true statement. Do I wish the cure would happen faster? You bet.

Neither Cong Tancrdo or myself believes the illegal immigration issue can be solved in an instant. When you look at the big picture and the big problems associated with illegal immigration and open borders, Bush has done NOTHING.

We stll have open borders through which over one million illegals attempt to enter the US annually and employers continue to violate the law by hiring illegals. Nothing has changed since Bush took office and to say it has is to ignore the facts.

>>>>Border Patrol has increased from a strength of 9,788 on September 11, 2001 to 10,835 on December 1, 2003.

There should be 110,835 Border Patrol agents. Maybe more!

>>>>Since 9/11, DHS has audited 3,640 businesses, examined 259,037 employee records, arrested 1,030 unauthorized workers, and participated in the criminal indictment of 774 individuals.

1030 arrests and 774 indictments. Wow. I can see you're easily pleased. I am not. Here is a number that should upset all Americans. There are 10-15 million illegals in America today and more on the way.

[jackbenimble]

Economic Incentives to Return Home: The U.S. will work with other countries to allow aliens working in the U.S. to receive credit in their nations' retirement systems and will support the creation of tax-preferred savings accounts they can collect when they return to their native countries.

Fair and Meaningful Citizenship Process: Some temporary workers will want to remain in America and pursue citizenship. They should not receive an unfair advantage over those who have followed the law, and they will need to be placed in line for citizenship behind those who are already in line. Those who choose the path of citizenship will have an obligation to learn the facts and ideals that have shaped America's history.

Well this document is two years old and the President has changed his tune considerably. Back then he was talking about a path to citizenship. Just a few weeks ago in Phoenix he gave a speech where he said illegals/guests would not be given a path to citizenship.

His entire answer to getting the illegals to leave seems to be his wildly unpopular plan for Social Security Totalization where he would cut people into our system and setting up a tax deferred saving account which they can access after they leave.

Excuse me if I am not impressed! There is not a chance that this would be sufficient incentive to get most of them to leave. It will take forced deportations.

To say that President Bush has done "nothing" is not a true statement.

True story! He has done less than nothing. He has actively encouraged the lawlessness. When he took office we had about 7 million illegals and now we have at least 11 million and probably way more. By 2008 the problem will have doubled on his watch.

[colorcountry]

It became a discussion about race when you made it one. I would prefer that none of us go there.

And you're right, we don't want poor uneducated anybody in our country. They don't contribute anything....they are a drain. Definitely a bad thing.

[A.Hun]

The United States becoming more brown and more Roman Catholic doesn't bother me in the least. Why should it?

All the gains minorities have made in the last century will apply to whites if they ever become a minority.

You should really think about what you just said.

[A.Hun]

I would be happy if they punished the "legal" criminals...my son was shot and robbed a year ago and the perp hasn't even been arraigned.

Priorities....

[investigateworld]

On the West Coast, we're a step a head. Illegals already control meth, marijuana, coke and heroin. They play serious too. In the county seat (Mcminville, Oregon) there's a half dozen posters "have you seen my missing (doper) kid?"
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those missing persons didn't heed the word from Chewy, Carlos and Jose to get out of the biz.
But they're just dealing the dope Americans won't.
Why Dubya is leading the mob wanting more illegals is beyond me.

[untrained skeptic]

I would.

I am however skeptical that a physical barrier is capable of doing that.

Physical barriers can be bypassed, tunneled under, or cut through. They must be patrolled to be effective. If we catch someone coming under, through or around the barrier we end up arresting them, which means they end up burdening our courts, jails, Border Agents and social services.

An physical barrier that is practical to build doesn't seem like it would provide much of a deterrent. It would slow down criminals at the border and possibly make them easier to catch, but unless we provide a real deterrent from them trying again, it's benefit is rather limited.

A border fence or wall can be part of an overall plan to address the problem, but by itself it would likely end up as a huge waste of money, so it depends on how the barrier is built, what it costs, and what else is being done to solve the problem at the same time.

[johnmecainrino]

are you kidding.

The dems are blocking the border fence bill in the house.

The only ones that want to crack down on illegals are republicans in the house.

Howard Dean and John Kerry want full amnesty.

You my friend are a troll.

It is laughable that you think the party of affirmative action and racial fearmongering is tough on illegals.

You want nancy pelosi as speaker of the house.

You want to take the voices away from mike pence's of the world.

[untrained skeptic]

BUSH"S guest worker program IS amnesty, period!

Show me in Bush's plan where it would allow illegal immigrants currently in the US to apply.

His original plan was too vague to specify that very important part.

He's now saying no amnesty, but not clearly specifying his plan.

Skepticism is justified.

Saying that Bush's plan IS amnesty is bull.

[johnmecainrino]

Wrong the rinos and dems are blocking spending cuts.

190 republicans in the house would love to cut spending more but the northeastern rinos and dems are blocking them.


Look at the vote on the recent 40 billion budget cuts.

Not one dem voted for it.


You my friend are why we are going to get a trifecta of nancy pelosi as speaker of the house, harry reid as majority leader and hillary rodham as president.

This country is being thrown overboard by people that don't see the difference between the party of ted kennedy, kerry, dean.


These people will let harry reid stop the next supreme court pick to replace stevens.

[moehoward]

No one is proposing to build a fence then call it a day. It will be just one of "the proper tools to detect and apprehend illegal immigrants" you mentioned in your post.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Everthing Bush has said and done has encouraged illegal immigration. If you are unable to see this, there is nothing for me to say.

[raybbr]

Did President Bush say we need to open our borders and let them all come in? I must have missed that part.

He has intended this from the very beginning. We just didn't pay attention. It's about the "new Americans".

We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.

Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.

For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.

George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.

You can read the speech here.

Here is a good critique of that speech:

In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster

[colorcountry]

In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster

Where does the American Indian stand in this equation, or Black (African)Americans. Or my husband's Spanish ancestors who were never residents of Mexico, but were Spaniard citizens before New Mexico became a part of this great union.

I understand your point, but yes, I consider it racist when the only ones that "belong" are Canadians (French) and Europeans.