Bush urges Congress on immigration

Associated Press ^ | May 20, 2006 | DEB RIECHMANN

[A. Pole]

Some people think any proposal short of mass deportation is amnesty. I disagree. There's a rational middle ground between automatic citizenship for every illegal immigrant and a program of mass deportation. 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.

"work in a job for a number of years"? At what wage?

[A. Pole]

"To secure our border we must create a temporary worker program [...]," Bush said.

What is the logical connection?

[A. Pole]

We have NO idea which plan he prefers. I don't know and neither do you.

Really?

[bpjam]

After making a call, I was wrong about the 55 age. The age is the same for citizens. Each country can decide how this gets done. Having dealt with tax law in the UK, most of our treaties with them appear to be based on a benefit-minus basis. THe benefit being received is reduced by the amount being recieved in the non-host country first. And I didn't intend or believe I said that it was a free giveaway since the benefits are only paid to those immigrants (legal or illegal) who actually paid into the system.

But there are actually millions of people getting freebies from Social Security. Did you know that a big chunk of the retirement population brought here under 'extended family' applications for citizenship or visas are retirement age family of existing 'anchor babies' who then get to apply for Social Security? Seems wrong? Yes. But Medicaid will cover them and they can get free government services in states like CA where the political class refuses acknowledge that citizenship it a different class than 'resident.'

[WOSG]

"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."

Middle ground? Would that be - deport 6 million, keep 6 million? How come the middle ground between deportation and 'instant US citizenship' is ... delayed US citizenship. that is more 90/10 than 50/50...

Anyone who stands up and says "it must include legalization/amnesty or nothing at all" is a real opponent of immigration law reform. We can only clean up this mess gradually, but NOT repeating the amnesty/legalization mistake is the first and most important rule to follow in whatever legislation we craft.

We got into this mess because of a failed amnesty in 1986 and 20 years of non-enforcement of immigration law. The only way out of this hole, in terms of both politics and policy, is a gradual, step-at-a-time approach to recover to a position of lawful immigration.

A TRUE compromise would NOT include amnesty/legalization at all, but would secure the border, get employment verification working 100%, and create enough legal avenues for employment-sponsored immigration so we can wean employers off illegal immigrant labor.

Let that be the 'compromise' from the House and Senate - leaving out the third rail of legalizing millions of illegal immigrants - and put it up for a vote in both houses. The only political victory for the GOP can be if we are united, and most conservative Republicans will never support a massive amnesty. Never. So drop it. Quit trying to 'compromise' around a Kennedy bill that gets a 'yes' vote from Schumer and "no" votes from 40 GOP Senators, and get serious about writing legislation that conservatives can rally around.

[WOSG]

"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."

Then why isnt it built? Then why does the President insist on 'comprehensive' reform with amnesty, instead of standing upand saying "We can do the border security this year and comprehensive reform next year, HR 4437 is acceptable, that will work too..." He didnt say it in his speech and it was very wrong of him not to.

It would work too, if the President had more seriousness about this issue.

Also, I'm sure the Bush critics are going to reel out the stats on Bush's non-enforcement at ICE and his budget that underfunded BorderPatrol, or the internal memos in the BP about how coyotes and drug smugglers are not getting prosecuted and about how the bed needed to end catch-and-release are 10X the number of beds they are applying it to, etc etc ...

"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."

There are 10 million illegal immigrants in this country. Outside of the border area arrests, how many deportations occured in the last year? So what is the likelihood of deportation?

[WOSG]

"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."

YES.
Amnesty is a slap in the face to legal immigrants.

[ZULU]

"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. "

Dubya, I have a middle ground. We deport some today, some tomorrow, and keep it up until they are all gone.

Send your congrersscritter a brick to let him/her know where you stand on illegal invaders and people who want to profit from them.

[WOSG]

"So why is he 5 years late in starting to talk about a fence?"

Obviously, this is political posturing to drive to tamp down the conservative anger over the CIRA bill.

"Where were the National Guard 5 years ago."

It was certainly a missed opportunity NOT to secure the borders post 9/11.

"Why now is he talking about a 'path to citizenship'."

Because he never ever intended to deport them, as that would be too cruel, and the original idea of them being 'guest workers' seemed to not get enough oomph.
La Raza and the libs demand amnesty/legalization-to-citizenship as the price of support of something, so Bush went Liberal on us to craft a RINO-Democrat bill. This is why Bush met with Reid and McCain but *not* Sen Cornyn, the conservative point-man in the Judiciary committee who is on top of most of these issues, and has his own, more conservative approach with Sen Kyl.

Bush should have pushed on Cornyn-Kyl or HR4437.
There is not really a middle. There is the very liberal CIRA bill (calling it a 'compromise' is pathetic joke). and there is the House HR4437. Secure the borders.
The middle ground would be a non-amnesty bill that gave us enforcement and a new visa for temp. workers.

"And most of all: What benefit to conservatives to have 12 million new Democrat voters?"

We get to write them off as 'dependents' on our taxes? :-/

[WOSG]

"Bush:..., but approval would not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law."

Lawrence Lindsay debunked this.

Dont be fooled. the CIRA bill is very liberal and very dangerous. Bush is showing that he cannot be trusted, as he is saying things (like "temporary guest worker") that are NOT TRUE and which his own White House is helping define as something other than what is advertised...

Read this:

http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com/2006/05/real-temporary-guest-worker-program.html

And this:
http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com/

[WOSG]

You'll have to mention to me one president we've ever had who actually has followed the law with regard to immigration."

Last one was Eisesnhower - he actually had a program that deport 1 million illegal aliens in a single year.

[jerry639]

Employers of illegals have to certify they tried to find Americans to fill the jobs. Employers are not trying to find Americans to fill the jobs. A friend of mine told me that last week she went to a temporary service looking for employment. She was there for several hours. During that time at least 5 American citizens walked in inquiring about a job at a local factory that is hiring. Each of them was told that they have no employment for them at the time. During the time she was at the agency at least 12 Mexicans walked in and were told to get on a bus that was parked out back and they were to be transported to the very company that the 5 citizens were inquiring about. Most likely most or all of the Mexicans transported to the company were illegals, since we have never had many of them in this area. Anyone who believes that illegals are doing the work Americans won't do are naive. They are here in great numbers taking jobs that American citizens will do and need badly.