Posted on 03/30/2006 6:00:20 PM PST by NormsRevenge
CANCUN, Mexico - With Mexican President Vicente Fox at his side, President Bush gave Congress a long-distance push Thursday to open the United States to immigrant workers who have been sneaking across the borders to fill low-paying jobs.
"We don't want people sneaking into our country that are going to do jobs that Americans won't do," Bush said at the end of a private meeting with Fox, where the issue was on top of the agenda. "We want them coming in in an orderly way, which will take pressure off both our borders."
The meeting between the Mexican and U.S. leaders came on the first day of a two-day North American summit that also includes Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Harper, meeting with Bush for the first time since taking office two months ago with the promise of building stronger ties with Washington, said the two countries are moving past their "tension" over Iraq.
Still, he took a combative stance on their long-standing dispute over U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, saying Canada would "pursue all its legal options" if he and Bush can't work out an agreement.
But it was the immigration debate, which has dominated the U.S. Senate this week, that took center stage in talks conducted in a beachfront resort surrounded by bikini-clad spring breakers. A new immigration law could affect as many as 6 million Mexicans living illegally in the United States — about half of all those who are estimated to have sneaked in from other countries seeking new opportunities they can't find at home.
Bush is pushing for a guest worker program that would let foreigners in low-paying jobs stay temporarily, which Fox says is a good first step toward some form of legal status for all Mexican illegal immigrants.
The issue has united the two leaders, whose friendship dates back to Bush's time as Texas governor but was strained over Fox's objections to the war in Iraq. But immigration has divided Bush's Republican party, with business interests who want cheap labor battling conservatives who want a get-tough policy against illegal immigrants.
Fox suggested the issue is largely out of their hands now.
"The matter is in the Congress of the United States and that is where the decision will be made," Fox said. "It is no longer between President Bush and President Fox."
But both leaders were clearly trying to sway the debate.
"I told the president there is a legislative process that's going forward," Bush said. "And that it may look cumbersome to some, but that's how our democracy works."
Bush added, "I'm optimistic that we can get a bill done."
The summit included plenty of time to be neighborly. The three leaders dressed casually in open-collared shirts and strolled together among the ancient Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza before sitting down for more intense one-on-one meetings. Fox planned a lavish dinner for his guests.
After spending the morning sightseeing, Bush had a few hours off before the formal meetings began. He used part of the time to work up a sweat in his hotel's gym.
There was tight security despite the fun-loving atmosphere generated by college students who have flocked to Cancun for spring break. Gunboats patrolled the turquoise waters off Bush's spa resort, and fencing kept out all but hotel guests. "I'd like to make sure you work more than you play," Bush joked to reporters.
The trilateral meeting was expected to be Fox's last, since he is set to leave office this year because of term limits. Bush lauded Fox for stabilizing the Mexican economy and improving the net worth of his people.
"That's important for the American economy as well," Bush said. "The more net worth there is in Mexico, the more likely it is the Mexican may be wanting to buy a U.S. product. And vice versa, by the way."
In his meeting with Harper, Bush sought to make the newly elected leader look good at home, making it a point to stress how hard the Canadian leader had pressed him on the softwood lumber issue. Harper "made an emphatic case," Bush said.
"I appreciate his steely resolve to get something done," the president said. "I appreciate your pushing."
But Bush didn't give Harper much of substance, saying only that "my intent is to negotiate in good faith and a timely fashion to resolve this issue."
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On the Net:
U.S. Trade Representative: http://www.ustr.gov
White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov
1. All illegals must register under some federal identity program.
2. All must be fingerprinted and entered in a worker database.
3. All must show a record of "paid" health insurance policy.
4. All must show proof of paid annual auto insurance.
5. All must show worker's comp insurance.
6. All must show appropriate, valid drivers license.
7. All must register all family members in the states.
8. All must pass some basic english speaking skills.
9. All must pass a bilateral crime database exchange shared between the U.S. and mexico to ferret out the criminals.
10. All must pay an initial fee to validate their status (after all the above are satisfied). This fee is $650,000 per family member, initially. $650,000 x 14 million illegals. This is equal to 9 trillion dollars and we can retire the national debt overnight. Beautiful.
Then quote it. You lied, you got busted.
texastoo might need a reminder of how POTUS really looks.
and that's exactly the structure in mexico - their "hidden billionaires" own all wealth in the country. Mark Levin talked about their socio-economic structure on his show tonight - small businesses are taxed into oblivion, can't get started. large companies pay very little taxes, so Mexico can't even provide basic services to its people. take those two factors, and you can see why their people migrate north for economic opportunity.
on threads earlier today, people were coming in and saying "if we don't help Fox, a communist may well win in mexico", challenging freepers conservative credentials. maybe that's exactly what mexico needs for a while, to tear out the corrupt oligarchy. What has Fox accomplished there?
Unemployment is at 4.9%. That's hardly a "difficult jobs environment."
Reagan also said 'a nation without borders is not a nation'.
And I can't remember him ONCE refer to the 'jobs that Americans won't do'.
FGS, what a drama queen you are.
What, you don't think Pat Buchanan is under every green tree?
Whenever I see that around here anymore, I just roll my eyes.
Screw it make Mexico a State.... smaller border to control with Guatamala and Belize...
As far as my vote is concerned it goes to the team that gets them out of our country.
$9.1 trillion. The extra $100 billion would build one honey of a fence!
"If you can't stand the heat, go to Mexico. Just try to invade their country illegally and see what happens."
yeah. lets go down to cancun and wave u.s. flags and claim it as our 51st state. Then we will remind them that they lost the Mexian/American war and Pancho Villa was queer and wore a fake 'stache. Frito Bandito this!
Well, isn't that special. The traitor commands the wimps in Congress from Mexico! I'm sure he made a deal of some kind with Canada too. Now the Americas are complete. From now on, we will be known as "CANAMEX."
I vote for a vote of no confidence in the Parliament. Time for a new coalition government!
In the immortal words of Ronald Reagan. "there you go again".
It does. You simply don't know what you're talking about.
FR is drifting to the far-right, towards protectionism and isolationism.
BS
It is struggling to stay the course and get its elected officials to just enforce the damn laws on the books, for starters... and to resist falling for more blathery legislation that is sold as a good start or as a cure-all but only if we swallow the bitter medicine; in this case another amnesty program that isn't really "amnesty" or so say those who have failed this nation before and seek to do so again for their own personal gain.. , politically and otherwise.
That is neither protectionism or isolationism, imo, as I see the debate play out.
Do you happen to have Bush's specific quote from today?
By the way, just because Hitler and the rest of his lousy gang did what they did in Germany does not make nationalism a bad thing. That was just a deplorable usage of it.
I've seen at least 30 in the last day or so, calling him a traitor and saying he should be impeached.
The last person who said:
We no longer have a President of and for the people but an arrogant psychopath who deems himself King, Lord, and Master.
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