Skip to comments.
Republican to Lead Immigration Revolt Against Bush
Reuters ^
| Jan 12, 2005
| Alan Elsner
Posted on 01/12/2005 12:50:36 PM PST by GOPXtreme20
Republican to Lead Immigration Revolt Against Bush
By Alan Elsner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican member of the House of Representatives vowed on Wednesday to lead a revolt against President Bush (news - web sites)'s immigration reform proposals and predicted that up to 180 party members would support him.
Bush in an interview with the Washington Times published on Wednesday said he plans to force a debate in Congress this year on his proposal that would allow some illegal immigrants to obtain legal work permits in the United States.
Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, who heads the House Immigration Reform Caucus, said he was determined to block the legislation. The caucus, which had 71 members in the last Congress, argues for stronger action to stop illegal immigration and a reduction of legal migration.
"Why is this so important to the president?" Tancredo said. "Is it just the corporate interests who benefit from cheap labor? Do they have such a strong grip on our president so that he is actually willing to put our nation at risk, because open borders do put our nation at risk?
"Is it petulance, because we were able to stop it in the last Congress? Why is it so important to give amnesty to people who have broken the law?" Tancredo said.
"I'm willing to lead a fight against this and I would say there are at least 180 members of our Republican caucus who are willing at least to stop amnesty for illegal immigrants," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Bush has repeatedly said he views immigration reform as an important issue for his second term. In the Washington Times interview, he said it was near the top of his agenda.
"Look, whether or not you agree with the solution or not, we have a problem in America when you've got 8 million undocumented workers here," he said.
BUSH CONFIDENCE
Bush expressed confidence he could win over opponents, as he did in passing tax reform during his first term. "Initially out of the box, some people said, over my dead body would they pass tax relief ... If I listened to all that, I'd just quit, you know. But that's not the way I think."
But analysts agree that immigration reform could be much more divisive for Republicans since growing numbers of rank-and-file voters are becoming concerned at the continued influx of illegal immigrants across the Mexican border.
"No issue, not one, threatens to do more damage to the Republican coalition than immigration," said David Frum, a former White House speech writer in Bush's first term.
"There's no issue where the beliefs and interests of the party rank-and-file diverge more radically from the beliefs and interests of the party's leaders," he wrote in the National Review last month.
Bush insists he is not offering amnesty to illegal immigrants but Tancredo said that was a "manipulation of language, the kind of thing (former President) Bill Clinton would have done. There is an issue of integrity here and an issue of honesty," he said.
TOPICS: US: California; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: aliens; atzlan; aztlandane; bushamnesty; christnotdaneagain; contractordane; danelovesbaca; danesucks; danethetraitor; gop; groundtrooprevolt; holadane; illegalaliens; immigrantlist; immigration; immigrationplan; immigrationrevolt; laraza; mechistadane; sealtheborders; tancredo; term2
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 501-520, 521-540, 541-560 ... 941-958 next last
To: ClintonBeGone
Your question should have been:
"What is the connection MS-13 gangs have with Islamic terrorist groups?"
If you can't trouble yourself to read those news stories; ( one by Tucson Channel 4 Eyewitness News, and the other by the Orange County District Attorney)
...Then I'm not going to waste my time trying to explain it to you.
521
posted on
01/12/2005 8:20:29 PM PST
by
FBD
To: FastCoyote
Las Vegas is a giant barrio? Gimme a break.
Comment #523 Removed by Moderator
To: MojoWire
"Another thing: Bush's plan throws a monkey wrench into US immigration policy which for the past 60 years has focused almost solely on allowing immigrantion for political repression reasons, NOT ECONOMIC."
That's a moot point; both Tancredo's and Bush's immigration plans put no limits on how many illegals can apply to work here.
But in exchange for that sacrifice, both immigration plans give us a way to make the immigration issue more manageable: registration.
Until we get our 8+ million illegals (and 1+ million of their employers) registered, we'll continue to have too many anonymous fugitives for law enforcement to effectively track down.
Tancredo and Bush are offering plans that end that anonymity; suddenly the anonymous fugitives are on our books, as are their employers. Now enforcement becomes feasible.
524
posted on
01/12/2005 8:21:37 PM PST
by
Southack
(Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
Comment #525 Removed by Moderator
To: Jim Robinson
National ID cards won't be far behind.That's the whole problem - we've left the door open so long that the only way to have a chance of identifying illegals is to have a national ID card for the citizens so ID checks can ferret out those who aren't supposed to be here.
Except that they won't. They will require us working stiffs to get the cards but will never quite get around to actually checking for illegals. And the heat under the frog is turned up another notch.
526
posted on
01/12/2005 8:22:52 PM PST
by
dirtboy
(To make a pearl, you must first irritate an oyster)
To: Southack
And that plan differs from Tancredo's immigration plan in only the smallest of political details. I don't know what "political" details means, but I do know that it varies hugely in substantive details, and so do you. Tancredo favors applying for guest worker status only from the home country, with no path to citizenship, and rather strict controls, that the guest workers go home sooner rather than later.. Bush allows existing illegals to be automatically eligible for quest worker status, with a clear path to citizenship, without ever having to depart.
I oppose both plans. I support something in-between the huge chasm in the two approaches. Shocking.
527
posted on
01/12/2005 8:24:08 PM PST
by
Torie
Comment #528 Removed by Moderator
To: PokerGod
A lot of immigration opponents appeal to bigotry and prejudice.
I think you are a racist. You onkly want illegal HISPANIC immigrants to get amnesty. Everyone else, whether from Africa or Russia or Eastern Europe or China has to wait in line and follow the law. By definition, you are therefore a racist.
To: MojoWire
I wish Bush was a Freeper....I really do
Somehow he is disconnected from the electorate
530
posted on
01/12/2005 8:26:32 PM PST
by
Halgr
(Once a Marine, always a Marine - Semper Fi)
Comment #531 Removed by Moderator
To: Halgr
Somehow he is disconnected from the electorate Yeah. 62 million disconnected supporters November 2.
To: ClintonBeGone
Was Muhammad Atta a member of MS-13? No, his social standards were too high.
533
posted on
01/12/2005 8:28:39 PM PST
by
JackelopeBreeder
(Proud to be a mean-spirited & divisive loco gringo armed terrorist vigilante cucaracha!)
To: MojoWire
"Even if we pass a plan, we will be no closer to solving the problem of a continuins massive influx of uneducated immigrants across our southern border."
Not true. Once passed, either plan will allow us to register millions of currently anonymous illegal alien fugitives. Once registered, those millions will be crossing our border at *legal* checkpoints, not treking through the desert.
This will greatly reduce the numbers who are coming through our non-checkpoint border crossings. The smaller those numbers become, the more manageable and feasible it becomes for our border patrol to discover and apprehend those who do continue to cross over illegally.
Moreover, both Tancredo and Bush's immigration plans register the employers of illegals for compliance audits...greatly reducing the number of employers who are willing to continue to hire illegals...
...Especially since if even 1 illegal at a sweatshop ever applies for a future blue card, then that entire sweatshop is going to get audited.
So contrary to the *myth* of an uncontrollable immigration problem, both Tancredo and Bush are offering very clever, very viable solutions...real world solutions...to this problem.
This is *NOT* President Reagan's 1986 amnesty; it's far better than that. Far.
534
posted on
01/12/2005 8:28:48 PM PST
by
Southack
(Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
To: Jim Robinson
Next thing you know, there will be calls for a National ID card and federal ID database for all. I favor both. This nation needs to know who is here and why, and when they want to secure federal benefits of whatever nature, or to secure a job legally.
I'd rather suffer the ills of illegal aliens than be forced to carry papers to prove I'm a citizen.
No papers necessary. You just need you National ID swipe card to get certain federal privileges. You don't need to carry it. That is straw man stuff. It will assist in preventing fraud.
535
posted on
01/12/2005 8:30:14 PM PST
by
Torie
To: Jim Robinson
I'd rather suffer the ills of illegal aliens than be forced to carry papers to prove I'm a citizen. Papers please? I'll offer a hypothetical. My wife is a native-borne American of Mexican ancestry. How do you tell her apart from an illegal? Would she be subject to interrogation on the street because she looks like she could be an illegal? If she hasn't applied for and obtained her officially sanctioned national ID card, could she face deportation because she looks like she could be an illegal? The irony is, she has lived in the barrio, has seen the waves of illegals firsthand and thinks we're nuts for allowing such.
But how do you tell her apart from an illegal walking down the street?
This whole subject is fiendishly difficult once you drill down into the details.
536
posted on
01/12/2005 8:30:41 PM PST
by
dirtboy
(To make a pearl, you must first irritate an oyster)
To: bayourod; ALIPAC
Several days ago I asked you if your organization was not-for-profit, or if it was a personal business venture. You are constantly spamming FR with promotions for your website, you should at least have the courtesy to disclose that basic information.
I'm guessing ALIPAC is more in the Larry Klayman model. Non profit, but with the hope of it being a very well paying living. If one were to visit the 'top stories' section on ALIPAC's website, you'll find a very unhealthy, almost sick obsession with stories about gang rape.
537
posted on
01/12/2005 8:31:13 PM PST
by
ClintonBeGone
(In politics, sometimes it's OK for even a Wolverine to root for a Buckeye win.)
To: ClintonBeGone
President Bush may be popular where you live, but he's not very popular here in Mexifornia.
BTW, this state has already become "brown" (your word) with illegal aliens by the millions, and unfortunately it's also going bankrupt. Our kids' schools are overloaded with non-English speakers, our hospitals are closing under the strain, our social services are stretched to the failing point, our taxes are sky-high, and we're getting the return of diseases that had been eradicated. I guess you think all of that is OK because of your worship of a President who makes a mockery of our laws.
Further, we have hispanic college professors who are teaching their students that the southwest belongs to Mexico, and that they will overtake us by their numbers. MECHA is preaching the same crap.
It must be nice to know that you're up there in the north country and have no idea and don't care what I'm talking about.
Comment #539 Removed by Moderator
To: Torie
No papers necessary. You just need you National ID swipe card to get certain federal privileges. You don't need to carry it. That is straw man stuff. It will assist in preventing fraud.And when does a national ID card become required to not just get federal privileges, but day-to-day essentials? What if you can't even buy gas or food unless you have the proper ID?
540
posted on
01/12/2005 8:33:24 PM PST
by
dirtboy
(To make a pearl, you must first irritate an oyster)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 501-520, 521-540, 541-560 ... 941-958 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson