Bush decries border project

Washington Times ^ | March 24, 2005 | James G. Lakely

[mikemikemikecubed]

WACO, Texas -- President Bush yesterday said he opposes a civilian project to monitor illegal aliens crossing the border, characterizing them as "vigilantes." He said he would pressure Congress to further loosen immigration law. More than 1,000 people -- including 30 pilots and their private planes -- have volunteered for the Minuteman Project, beginning next month along the Arizona-Mexico border. Civilians will monitor the movement of illegal aliens for the month of April and report them to the Border Patrol. Mr. Bush said after yesterday's continental summit, with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin at Baylor University, that he finds such actions unacceptable. "I'm against vigilantes in the United States of America," Mr. Bush said at a joint press conference. "I'm for enforcing the law in a rational way." The Minuteman Project was born out of a long-held perception among many residents that more Border Patrol agents are needed to handle the flow of illegal immigrants. Mr. Bush was criticized by both Republicans and Democrats earlier this month for failing to add 2,000 agents to the Border Patrol, as set out in the intelligence overhaul legislation he signed in December. The president's 2006 budget allows enough money to add only 210 agents for the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico. Mr. Bush said he will "continue to push for reasonable, common-sense immigration policy." He has proposed legislation to grant guest-worker status to millions of illegal aliens already in the United States. The legislation has attracted scant support in Congress, where it is widely regarded as another amnesty that will encourage even more illegal immigration.

[Stu Cohen]

Absolutely correct. I just lost some respect for President Bush, something I thought would never happen

Bush said he was going to do this before the election.

Did you not believe him?

Why did you just now lose respect when he proposed this last year?

[rattrap]

Can someone please explain Bush's apparent lack of logic on border control?

Latin Vote, that's it and that's all.

[CONSERVE]

ping

[sarasota]

My only hope is that Congress won't support his wishes. We need to get on it and stay on it.

[jpsb]

"Can someone please explain Bush's apparent lack of logic on border control?"

NAFTA, the unpublished parts.

[looscnnn]

"I threw my vote away."

You mean you didn't help "loose to Kerry"?

[speed_addiction]

Why did I vote for the aHole?

Because with John Kerry as the other option, we really did not have a choice.

[hedgetrimmer]

He has yet to justify why we should allow illegals into America

Its not justifiable in terms of American sovereignty. However, the reason the borders are open is that there are many in Washington who desire a western hemispheric union. The "ministers" who are negotiating this to happen have stated that there must be a free flow of "migrants" into the United States-- this was decided at the second Summit of the Americas--

Migrant Workers

Governments will: (Not May or Shall>

- Reaffirm that the promotion and protection of human rights and the fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction by reasons of race, gender, language, nationality, or religion, is a priority for the international community and is the responsibility of every state.

- Comply with the applicable international human rights instruments and, consistent with the legal framework of each country, guarantee the human rights of all migrants, including migrant workers and their families.

- Seek full compliance with, and protection of, the human rights of all migrants, including migrant workers, and their families, and adopt effective measures, including the strengthening of public awareness, to prevent and eradicate violations of human rights and eliminate all forms of discrimination against them, particularly racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

- Reaffirm the sovereign right of each State to formulate and apply its own legal framework and policies for migration, including the granting of permission to migrants to enter, stay, or exercise economic activity, in full conformity with applicable international instruments relating to human rights and in a spirit of cooperation.

- Seek full respect for, and compliance with, the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, especially as it relates to the right of nationals, regardless of their immigration status, to communicate with a consular officer of their own State in case of detention.

- Protect the rights of all migrant workers and their families, consistent with each country´s internal legal framework, by taking steps, in case they do not exist, to: 1) provide, with respect to working conditions, the same legal protection as for national workers; 2) facilitate, as appropriate, the payment of full wages owed when the worker has returned to his/her country, and allow them to arrange the transfer of their personal effects; 3) recognize the rights of citizenship and nationality of the children of all migrant workers who may be entitled to such rights, and any other rights they may have in each country; 4) encourage the negotiation of bilateral or multilateral agreements, regarding the remission of social security benefits accrued by migrant workers; 5) protect all migrant workers and their families, through law enforcement and information campaigns, from becoming victims of exploitation and abuse from alien smuggling; 6) prevent abuse and mistreatment of all migrant workers by employers or any authorities entrusted with the enforcement of migration policies and border control; and 7) encourage and promote respect for the cultural identity of all migrants.

- Support the activities of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with regard to the protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families, particularly through the Special Rapporteur for Migrant Workers.

http://www.cicad.oas.org/en/basicdocuments/cicad-basic-documents-summit2-planaction.htm

[Travis McGee]

Presidente Jorge Arbusto is derelict in his duties to protect our nation's borders in time of war.

[Stu Cohen]

Yeah, we were given the choice of bad (Bush) or worse (Kerry).

But he acts like we gave him a mandate for this stuff when he only mentioned it twice during the campaign because every time he did, the reaction was so negative. Actually I should correct myself. He only mentioned it twice in English prior to the election. He continued to advertise it in Spanish on his website.

The "lessor of two evils" things is getting a little thin. I don't think it was the intent of the forefathers to be this wat. Either resign yourself to this kind of silly stuff, or start throwing your votes away from the status-quo party.

If you vote for the guy knowing his policy, it's kinda hard to complain afterward.

[looscnnn]

Which is why he is saying this now and not before the elections.

[Stu Cohen]

Because with John Kerry as the other option, we really did not have a choice.

You don't have a choice because they tell you that you don't, and you (and everyone else) believes it.

If Stalin and Hitler were on the ballot, who would you vote for?

You certainly wouldn't want to throw your vote away. That would be crazy.

[sheana]

You are right. If the border is let go long enough and we have enough illegals here...eventually the Prez and Congress can say..."Well we are out of options, our only choice is to legalize everyone here and completely open the borders in the interest of joining the nations of Canada, Mexico, and the U.S."
They actually think the public is stupid.

[cyborg]

The President is dead wrong.

[sasafras]

For all the Bush Brownies - why does Bush want our country to become a pit for illegals and terrorists? Why doesnt Bush want to protect our soverignty? Why does Bush want to put our citizens at risk, and ruin our schools, hospitals? Why does Bush want American families to face more crime and drugs?

Time to wake up Bush is an elitist and could give a damn about you and I.

[jackbenimble]

"Can someone please explain Bush's apparent lack of logic on border control?"

He is taking care of his rich elite friends/campaign contributors who want an unlimited supply of cheap labor to exploit.

[looscnnn]

It is one thing to say he is for letting them come here for jobs, it is another to call citizens that help monitor the border (and do not interact with the illegals) as vigilanties.

[MamaTexan]

I don't know about everybody else, but:

I no longer owe allegiance to the authority of an illegitimate government.

I am DONE with the so-called conservatives and Republicans....Bush has kissed Mexican butt ONE to many times for this Texas gal!

We vote, we petition, we protest, we write, we call....we finally get so fed up with governmental lip-service that some decide to TRY and stem the flood themselves.

How are we rewarded?

Our politicians spit in our faces, wipe their backside with the laws they SWORE ON THE HOLY BIBLE to uphold and THEN try to tell us we need to be 'rational' about enforcing the law!!!

If the government had been RATIONAL 20 or 30 YEARS ago when the people started complaining about it, it wouldn't be a problem NOW!

Conservatives are always astonished that the blacks continually run around on the 'Democrat's Plantation', but what are WE for constantly taking this crap from our *leaders*?

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Write fast, buddy.

Events are moving pretty fast and you want to stay ahead of them.

I want to read about it before it happens, not afterward.

[bahblahbah]

Mr President, do your fkn job and there won't be "vigilantes"