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.
The link doesn't quote Bush.
One fact it is often the overlooked in the immigration debate is the fact that many of the illegals that come here have no interest in becoming American citizens. There always seems to be an assumption that anyone given the chance to become a citizen would. But it's just not true. For many the opportunity is to send money home, then return home someday with money.
It is particularly disheartening to see the effect of talk of amnesty has on legal immigrants. Many have told me that they spent over 10 years, legally obtaining citizenship. Now I looks to them, like the Senate and the president are making a mockery of their efforts.
A family of Mexico's citizens broke into our house while were gone. They have been eating our food, seeing my doctor on our dime (even had a baby), and running up huge bills for us. On the other hand they have been mowing the yard and cleaning the house.
My dilemma now, is do we work out a way for them to stay with all the back benefits of us as employers (maybe charge them $100 for this) or call the police and have them thrown out?
Sounds kinda stupid huh?
It gives me no pleasure to say that many problems are being kicked down the road - Social Security for one. Republicans and DemocRATs alike are failing us on the big issues.
Uh, yes, it does. The article, one of several which I linked, mentions the White House at least twice and what they want Congress to do. Read it again.
Good analogy.
Really? This apparently is a common misconception. According to Senator Jeff Sessions, who spoke on this subject in the Senate on May 18:
The President told me--and he has said publicly a half dozen times--he believes in a temporary worker bill. I suppose his lawyers, maybe they thought it must be temporary, right? Well, it is not so. Let's take the people who will be allowed to enter our country in the future under this bill. This bill say that they can come in as a guest worker, temporary, and they can come for 3 years and then they can extend and stay another 3 years.
So that means it is temporary, right? Wrong. All you have to do is read the language of the bill, and as Senator Kyl and Senator Cornyn have pointed out, and you discover that the first day the temporary workers are here they can apply for a green card through their employer. And what is a green card? It makes them a legal, permanent resident. Permanent resident, not a temporary guest workers.
Five years after that green card is issued, they are entitled to apply for citizenship, every single one of them that enter under this so-called temporary provision. That is the truth, but it is not the message we are being told.
Earlier today I thought about offering an amendment or a resolution to bar anyone in the Senate from using the phrase ``temporary guest worker'' when they talk about this bill because it is so bogus. It is an utter and total misrepresentation. As I just explained, and as the Senators have just explained, everyone coming in under this provision for the indefinite future get to become permanent workers. I challenge anybody to dispute that. They have the ability to become a legal permanent resident, and after that, they get to go and become a citizen. So it is just not a temporary worker program, it is permanent immigration. That is the deal.
I believe Jeff Sessions, who challenges you to dispute his claim. If you can prove that it is temporary, do so. Links please. Otherwise admit that you are wrong, and that Bush is pushing a massive permanent amnesty, and misrepresenting even in today's address what he is pushing.
You'll have to mention to me one president we've ever had who actually has followed the law with regard to immigration.
Huh. Last time I looked, the president spoke in favor of the bill authorized in the House. Let me look. Why yes. Yes he did.
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. Source
I didn't bother to listen to Bush's radio address.
I wouldn't be surprised if anywhere in his speech he proclaimed "Si, se puede!"
I had not heard that and don't think Sessions is in the business of lying.
Yeah, we know Bush supported the House bill, and that is to his credit.
My point, which you are ignoring, is that if the Senate came up with a bill (such as McCain-Kennedy), that had no real enforcement provisions, but massive amnesty, Bush would sign it.
Do you disagree?
We have people who have invaded our country, are here illegally and those who want to send them back are extremists? Even here on a supposed conservative site there are large numbers of people who support the law breakers or at least attack those who want to enforce the laws already written.
Really? Then give his alleged quote regarding the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005."
Need cut and paste instructions?
I have no idea; I know the president wants something done about immigration and since it's an issue that has been kicked down the road by Congress and presidents for 25 years, I'm not about to blame the one man who is trying to make changes.
We have NO idea which plan he prefers. I don't know and neither do you.
Along with a tremendous debt,
but back to the issue of granting amnesty to aliens, I would probably support some sort of amnesty--as long as there were no onerous `conditions' attached: registrations, fees, fines, and so forth, that no expects to be enforced, thereby further eroding respect for our law.
I'm always surprised that people can seriously make the argument that "we cannot locate and deport millions of aliens"; however, they are quick to propose that we can find them to register, and pay fees and fines, to leave then come back, to put their right feet in and turn themselves about, etc.
On only one real condition: that/as long as there are real measures (I want to say "concrete") taken to enforce the sanctity of our southwestern border--prior to amnesty being granted--in order to prevent the flood of new "guests" into our country that would otherwise be sure to follow.
Since I don't see this happening, any real security and enforcement measures, I don't support any amnesty at all.
Hon, if you're having that much trouble reading from the links I gave, nothing I can cut and paste will help you.
Not Bush. There was even more enforcement under the administration of the wretched Bill Clinton.
You have no quote to cut and paste. You're blowing smoke.
I had not heard it either, it was buried in a long thread the other day.
Bush is obfuscating by stressing the supposedly rigrous requirements for citizenship, but not informing us that they get Green Cards on day one!
Being a citizen and a quarter will get you a cup of coffee and jury duty. A Green Card is the key that unlocks the treasure of being in the U.S.
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