The problem is that no matter how badly President Bush wants his legacy to include comprehensive immigration reform (a combination of border security and bring illegal workers out of the shadows w/legal status) there is no way that he can overcome the following FACTS about this administration's failure to enforce immigration laws. The President has lost our trust at is pertains to the immigration issue. It will not be regained during his presidency. And it doesn't help him at all to belittle and attempt to marginalize those who are speaking out on this issue.
Fix the following by actually enforcing the laws. Secure the borders. And then a future president may be able to come back to the people and convince us to support some sort of guest worker program and potential legal status for those immigrants who here illegally.
(Stats from the DHS 2004 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, Analysis is mine.)Employer Investigation Efforts of U.S. Immigration Authorities:
Fiscal Year Worksite Arrests Notices of Intent to Fine 1993 7,630 1,302 1994 7,554 1,063 1995 10,014 1,056 1996 14,164 1,019 1997 17,554 865 1998 13,914 1,023 1999 2,849 417 2000 953 178 2001 735 100 2002 485 53 2003 445 162 2004 159 3 The average annual worksite arrests under Clinton was 9,329 arrests. The average annual worksite arrests under President Bush is 456. This is a 95 percent reduction in average annual worksite arrests under President Bush.
The average annual notices of intent to fine employers of illegal aliens under Clinton was 865. The average under President Bush is 79.5. This is a 90 percent reduction in average annual notices of intent to fine employers of illegal aliens.
And then there is 2004 where, under President Bush, only 3 notices of intent to fine employers of illegal aliens were done. 3!! But that was President Bush's worst year. Let's compare best years then.
Under Clinton his best year for Worksite Arrests was 1997 with 17,554 reported. President Bush's best year was 2001 with 735 worksite arrests reported. This is a 99.7 percent reduction in worksite arrests under President Bush when comparing best years.
Clinton Presidency, Total Aliens Expelled:
1993 1,285,952
1994 1,074,781
1995 1,364,688
1996 1,643,108
1997 1,555,116
1998 1,743,273
1999 1,755,754
2000 1,861,933
Total over 8 years: 12,284,605
Average Annual Total Aliens Expelled: 1,535,575Bush Presidency, Total Aliens Expelled:
2001 1,432,061
2002 1,084,661
2003 1,076,483
2004 1,238,319
Total over 4 years: 4,831,524
Average Annual Total Aliens Expelled: 1,207,881The average annual total of aliens expelled under President Bush is 327,694 LESS than the average under President Clinton. That is a 21.3 percent reduction in aliens expelled compared between Clinton and President Bush.
Deportable Aliens located in non-border sectors (interior enforcement):
Clinton presidency, last four years:
1997 44,246
1998 39,096
1999 42,010
2000 32,759
Total: 158,111Bush presidency, first four years:
2001 30,496
2002 25,501
2003 26,492
2004 21,113
Total: 103,602Total deportable aliens located in interior sectors during the first four years of the Bush presidency represents a 34.4 percent drop compared to the previous four years - the last four years of the Clinton presidency.
Deportable Aliens Located:
Clinton Presidency first four years:
1993 1,327,261
1994 1,094,719
1995 1,394,554
1996 1,649,986
Total: 5,466,520Clinton Presidency last four years:
1997 1,536,520
1998 1,679,439
1999 1,714,035
2000 1,814,729
Total: 6,744,723Bush Presidency first four years:
2001 1,387,486
2002 1,062,279
2003 1,046,422
2004 1,241,089
Total: 4,737,276Total deportable aliens located dropped by 29.7 percent in the first four years of the Bush Presidency compared to the previous four years - the last four years of the Clinton Presidency.
Sources: DHS Yearbook of Statistics 2004 and other DHS and INS sources.
And what's incredible, even after 9-11 there was no interest is sealing the borders.
And this man expects us to trust him?
Thanks for the facts.
I need them for some debating I’m doing with a neighbor. Funny thing is, he’s against this amnesty bill as well. We’re just debating the specifics about how bad Bush is on securing the country vs. his predecessors.
Nice job. So this White House managed to deport
fewer, arrest fewer and spent much more $$ to do it.