Immigration Reform on Bush Agenda

Washington Post ^ | December 24, 2003 | Mike Allen

[sarcasm]

< SNIP >

Lobbyists working with the White House said Bush is developing a plan that would allow immigrants to cross the border legally if jobs are waiting for them. The sources said the administration also wants to provide a way for some undocumented workers in the United States to move toward legal status.

Bush will try to make the plan more palatable to conservatives by including stricter entry controls, including increased use of technology at the border and steps toward better enforcement of current visa restrictions and reporting requirements, sources said.

< SNIP >

The White House plan is being designed by Bush's senior adviser, Karl Rove, in consultation with the domestic policy staff. Sources said the White House's biggest concern is that the new mechanism not penalize people who had followed the law and reward those who had not. McCain's plan, which was introduced in the House by Reps. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), tries to mitigate that problem by creating a new type of visa for previously undocumented workers who would be allowed to live in the United States legally for three years. Then the workers could apply for the temporary worker visa, which would be the path to a green card, or legal permanent residency. That would amount to a three-year advantage for those who entered legally.

[RWR8189]

A few anti-immigrant bigots may stay home, but most of us (the Bush base) will crawl over broken glass to vote him a second term.

Now is this the part of the base who wants more federal involvement in education, or is that the part of the base that wants to expand entitlements more than any president since LBJ?

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Exactly what are you getting at, if I and others don't vote for Bush we'll end up with Hillary or Dean? To prevent that disaster we should just hold our nose then and let Bush do whatever he wants?

[Sabertooth]

Sure, but if Bush attempted to crack down on companies hiring illegals, the outcry from the major newspapers and networks -- all liberal of course -- would be deafening.

Please, tell me when it's safe to come out from hiding.

And the liberal media would pin the whole thing on the evil Republicans.

Good. 70% of Americans are opposed to Illegals.

It might not cost Bush re-election, but it could cost us seats in the house and senate. Is that price worth it?

Respectfully: "har."

[GeronL]

what happens we develop machines to pick lettuce and stuff? will they go home?

Its already getting hard to find a fast food place where the workers understand the order and can actually get it to you without messing up.

You can't complain unless you want saliva or piss as a condiment.

[Metternich]

Rounding up a few hundred thousand

You'd have the liberal media and the Democrats accusing Bush of ethnic cleansing. You'd see UN members pushing resolutions condemning America for ethnic cleansing of its Mexican minority. We'd look like the Serbs going after the Albanians in Kosovo.

It'd be a political nightmare.

[LasVegasMac]

Hey, Moto - don't get so friggin' snippy..... That word-fusion implies both parties are similarly (and successfully) bribed.

"republicrat" - 1) A nominal or moderate member of either the Republican or Democratic party who strays from party ideals. 2) A member of the single ruling party in America made up of both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Did you just make up your version, or what?

Damn, are you stupid.

I left that in just for you.

LVM

[Torie]

The money will just be wired straight to Mexico if the government really gets efficient at asset seizure. That brings up another potentially noisome little matter to consider with your program. The number of public employees needed to enforce the grabbing of the slim pickings of the pickers boggles the mind. Surely that one doesn't pencil.

What we need to do is figure out how to fill these suck jobs in a fair and intelligent manner. That means guest workers, who are rewarded if they play by the rules, with some incentive down the line to become Americans, and sending employers that don't play by the rules to jail. Anything else, is just masturbatory.

[Jorge]

"I have a friend who's illegal but has been working here for 17 years. I hope Bush makes it easier for people like him to stay here legally."

Your criminal friend should be deported.

You should be locked up if you ever exceeded the speed limit. Hypocrite.

[Sabertooth]

why, you afraid someone is going to come into this country who looks, talks, and thinks differently from you?

Yeah, call it a "rule of law" quirk.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"Do you really think Mexicans will stop coming as long as American companies keep hiring them?"

Small businesses are hiring them off the books to avoid taxation and govt oversight, and everyone in urban areas KNOWS it.

Where I live, I could personally round up a couple of hundred per workday. Welfare agencies(aka activists hired by govt to mind the hen house) KNOW they are working off the books, and show them how to COLLECT on top of it. (wink, wink)

There are Hispanic lawyers in my city that specialize in 'setting up' illegals by filing all the paperwork, etc.

The whole picture is NAUSEATING...

[sarasmom]

Put them in jail, in large numbers!
Seal the borders!
Immigrants who wish to become full USA citizens, welcome to your new home!
Illegal aliens who want to steal my future grandchidrens heritage because they are too greedy,cowardly and selfish to fight for their own rights in their own homelands - dont even think about coming around here!
Legal immigrants-welcome!
Illegal aliens-I would just as soon shoot as look at them.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

You'd have the liberal media and the Democrats accusing Bush of ethnic cleansing.

Illegal aliens are in this country from all over the world, including Asia and Eastern Europe. As long as Bush is fair and even-handed when he enforces the law what can the bleeding hearts say?

[B Knotts]

That's why I say their whole orange/red/magenta/mauve alert system is a load of B.S.

Why should citizens be randomly searched at airports (even just to pick up/drop off), when the government knowingly allows illegal aliens to roam at large?

Homeland security, my a**.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"but most of us (the Bush base) will crawl over broken glass to vote him a second term."

Not 'the base', but the BOUGHT.

[GeronL]

You'd see UN members pushing resolutions condemning America

Your kidding right? The UN almost always votes against the US on something of the order of 175-5

[Jorge]

"A few anti-immigrant bigots may stay home, but most of us (the Bush base) will crawl over broken glass to vote him a second term."

Now is this the part of the base who wants more federal involvement in education, or is that the part of the base that wants to expand entitlements more than any president since LBJ?

Interesting judgment to make on people simply because they disagree with you on one totally unrelated point.

[Zipporah]

Let's see how many ways do I feel duped? Hmm let's start with the prescription drug bill (more to name but I won't bore anyone).. now this?? I've said it before, but it's interesting that Bush would favor a foreign power (i.e. Vincente Fox) that contravenes the will and the best interest of the American people...

[King Prout]

Is a political/media nightmare somehow more to be feared than a real-world cultural and societal cohesion nightmare?

[Metternich]

70% of Americans are opposed to Illegals.

Yeah, but the question is what percentage would support a crackdown on illegals, especially women and children.

That's very different than opposing illegals, in the abstract.