Posted on 05/20/2006 2:17:00 PM PDT by Dubya
WASHINGTON — President Bush urged Congress today to find a middle ground between mass deportation or instant U.S. citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already living in America.
Bush's radio message was the third time this week he has spoken out about immigration.
On Monday, in a televised address from the Oval Office, Bush said he would order as many as 6,000 National Guard troops to secure the U.S. border with Mexico, and urged Congress to give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship.
Bush said the National Guard troops would fill in temporarily while the nation's Border Patrol is expanded. He asked Congress to add 6,000 more Border Patrol agents by the end of his presidency and add 6,700 more beds so illegal immigrants can be detained while waiting for hearings.
However, Homeland Security Department Inspector General Richard L. Skinner said in a report Friday that the administration hadn't budgeted enough, and that it will take nearly 35,000 more jail beds to detain all high-risk aliens.
"This week I asked Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border," Bush said Saturday. "We'll hire thousands more Border Patrol agents. And to help these agents do their jobs, we will deploy advanced technologies such as high-tech fences in urban areas, infrared cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles."
Many congressional Republicans said they supported Bush's plan to use National Guard troops at the border. But he ran into criticism from some border state governors, Democrats and some other Republicans.
In the Democratic radio response, Rep. Mike Honda of California said Bush should denounce the approach of House Republicans, who won passage of a tough immigration bill that would erect fences along the Mexican border and treat people who sneak across as felons to be deported.
"The president's public relations campaign won't get the job done," Honda said about the proposals the president announced Monday. "As the Senate continues to consider comprehensive immigration reform, the president needs to stand up to the far right, and take a stand on the details of the bill before them."
On Thursday, the president traveled to Arizona to tour an unfortified section of the border in the desert. He endorsed using fences and other barriers to cut down on illegal crossings. The Senate on Wednesday voted to put 370 miles of fences on the border.
"To secure our border we must create a temporary worker program that provides foreign workers a legal and orderly way to enter our country for a limited period of time," Bush said.
Bush wants an immigration bill that pairs up better security on the border with a guest worker program.
He faces opposition from conservative Republicans, particularly in the House, who prefer a get-tough approach and largely oppose a guest worker program — something they view as giving amnesty to criminals.
The Senate, meanwhile, is working on broad legislation that largely answers Bush's call. It includes measures to tighten control of the borders, creates a guest worker program and offers a path to citizenship to many, but not all, illegal immigrants in the nation.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., an ardent opponent of the Senate bill, conceded Friday that the measure is likely to pass next week. "The Senate should be ashamed of itself," he said. But he also predicted that it won't become law unless House and Senate negotiators rewrite it.
In addition to a guest worker program, Bush said employers need to be held accountable for the workers they hire by creating a better system for verifying documents and work eligibility. The president said the system should include a tamperproof identification card for every legal foreign worker.
"The card would help us enforce the law and leave employers with no excuse for breaking it," he said. "And by making it harder for illegal immigrants to find work in our country, we would discourage people from crossing the border illegally in the first place."
That doesn't, however, resolve the status of millions of illegal immigrants already living in America. Bush said they should not be given an automatic path to citizenship.
"This is amnesty, and I oppose it," he said.
But the nation needs to provide a way for illegals to stay, he said.
"Illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty, pay their taxes, learn English and work in a job for a number of years," Bush said.
Just as happened recently in PA, we MUST get conservative candidates into the primaries and support them to the hilt. Even to the extent of displacing incumbents if they are RINOs.
Excerpts from President Bush's speech to illegal immigrants:
Good afternoon my illegal friends. Welcome to Motel Six. Stay as long as you want and drinks and dinner are on me... err, the American Taxpayer.
Feel free to breed as fast as you want. Because we need more diversity amoung our people here in Texaco, err, Mexico, eer, ah, ... where are we Dick?
And don't forget, you can pick up your $100 gasoline rebate at the door to your hotel room.
(Bush to self... I hope Ted was okay with that grand welcoming sppech)
Hello?
The president has supported building a wall for over a year now, so if you have problems with the fact that a wall hasn't been built, take it up with Congress. He supported Sensenbrenner's suggestion to build a 700 mile wall, but Congress rejected it. Bush even signed legislation which funded the wall.
http://www.colum.edu/students/reservoir/studentlife/february2006/week1/borderfence0206.htm
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/5/3/115432.shtml
As an aside, although there are complaints that under this administration, employer fines have decreased for hiring illegal immigration, what seems to have gone unnoticed by the border hysterics is that it's because what was once a fine is now a CRIME.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/15/AR2006041501049_pf.html
Some of the Governors don't want a fence. Why don't you attack them?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48017
And it is within the power of each Governor to call up the National Guard to defend the borders. But some Governors are opposed to that idea too.
And for those who are saying the war in Iraq is making it impossible for our National Guard to protect the country here, there are over 300,000 National Guardsmen and only 30,000 are in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Supporting Humane and Legal Immigration
The Republican Party supports reforming the immigration system to ensure that it is legal, safe, orderly and humane. It also supports measures to ensure that the immigration system is structured to address the needs of national security. America is a stronger and better nation because of the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants, and the Republican Party honors them. A growing economy requires a growing number of workers, and President Bush has proposed a new temporary worker program that applies when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. This new program would allow workers who currently hold jobs to come out of the shadows and to participate legally in America’s economy. It would allow men and women who enter the program to apply for citizenship in the same manner as those who apply from outside the United States. There must be strong workplace enforcement with tough penalties against employees and employers who violate immigration laws. We oppose amnesty because it would have the effect of encouraging illegal immigration and would give an unfair advantage to those who have broken our laws. To better ensure that immigrants enter the United States only through legal means that allow for verification of their identity, reconnaissance cameras, border patrol agents, and unmanned aerial flights have all been increased at the border. In addition, Border Patrol agents now have sweeping new powers to deport illegal aliens without having first to go through the cumbersome process of allowing the illegal alien to have a hearing before an immigration judge. We support these efforts to enforce the law while welcoming immigrants who enter America through legal avenues.
Now Bush says this:
Illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty, pay their taxes, learn English, and work in a job for a number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to apply for citizenship.
While running for President, Bush proposed a temporary worker program that illegals would need enter, and from this group some could apply for citizenship. Now, I believe it works that any human who can prove his illegality by producing a utility bill is granted legal status, permanent residence, and welfare goodies, and if he wants to be a citizen then a few paltry hurdles (that will be dropped as soon as possible) are placed in his way.
See how temporary worker morphs into amnesty? It is obvious that Bush has been hot to provide amnesty the whole time, and is providing as many aspects of amnesty as possible while maintaining mere semantic distinctions to enable him to deny it.
Are you maintaining that President Bush's record in protecting our border and enforcing immigration laws is laudatory? Bush himself as much as admitted otherwise in his speech Monday in which he described in lamentable detail the chaos that exists on the border and in the interior.
Bush may have put some lipstick on the amnesty pig with a little border enforcement here and there. But the issue is that damn pig. Try to reassure us on Bush's amnesty intentions. Good luck.
I wonder if it will be tax deductible? Or maybe a tax credit?
President Bush has spoken in favor of the bill authored by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), known as the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. Bush has already signed legislation appropriating more than $70 million to install new barriers and improve existing protective infrastructure along the border. This includes fencing as well as vehicle barriers and lighting to enhance border security.
http://www.colum.edu/students/reservoir/studentlife/february2006/week1/borderfence0206.htm
What did he allegedly say?
But we didn't need to for the first five years of your tenure Mr. President, when work-site arrests declined from thousands to hundreds? Why the change of heart now?
Fourth, we must resolve the status of millions of illegal immigrants who are already here.
No we don't. We really don't (Though their illegal presence would be nicely resolved by their departure).
They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship. This is amnesty...,
Yes it is. And so is your amnesty plan.
Amnesty would be unfair to those who are here lawfully, and it would invite further waves of illegal immigration.
Yes, your amnesty will do both those things.
Some people think any proposal short of mass deportation is amnesty.
Straw man and unidentified actor in one sentence. Fire a speech writer.
Congress is now considering legislation on immigration reform. That legislation must be comprehensive. All elements of this problem must be addressed together or none of them will be solved at all.
Nonsense. Just a flat out ridiculous statement. Would anyone accept such an all-or-nothing demand about any other issue: Energy policy? Defense Policy? Health Care? Fire two speech writers.
Amnesty? I think not.
Anyone who doesn't apply for an application by a certain date would be subject to deportation.
Fines will be paid by applicants.
Those who apply for an application can stay for 3 years and can renew for an additional 3 years at which point they have to return home and get in line with everyone else.
Employers of illegals have to certify they tried to find Americans to fill the jobs. Those employers have to pay minimum wage and all other labor standards. Fine to employers not complying would be increased and instead of just fines, which has been the standard for 30 years, employers would be charged with serious criminal penalties and subject to trial and jail.
Applicants will submit to a background check and criminals will not be permitted to stay.
Applicants must learn English.
The president has been tryin to get Congress to address this problem for over 2 years. If you're upset that no action has been taken, take it up with Congress.
You didn't read the links, did you?
This is just one:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/5/3/115432.shtml
But it is abundantly clear that he favors the Senate bill, and he cares not a whit about any enforcement provisions in it, just so long as it has an "adjustment of status", i.e. amnesty.
Do you deny that Bush would have signed any immigration bill the Senate might have produced, even the original McCain-Kennedy monstrosity, with felons, 210 million and all?
And anyone currently in this nation illegally is subject to deportation.
Since Bush won't enforce the law now, what makes you think he'll enforce it after he gets his amnesty passed?
It seems to me that those in favor "comprehensive immigration reform" when called to task simply ignore the call of your question:
`What about the intention and apparent desire of President Bush to give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens?'
Their plan seems to be to simply change the date on the following: http://www.oig.lsc.gov/legis/irca86.htm
from `1986' to `2006'.
As a result this `can is kicked down the road' another twenty years.
Of course, in 2026 we could just again change the date `2006' in the above statute to `2026' when we have (was it 3 million in `86? and 12 million today?) using an exponential calculation: 48 million aliens "living in the shadows"--that is, when they aren't out demanding their rights while flying their flag, having read their history and recalling how well intimidation & threats worked in May of 2006.
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