"I'm gonna build the fence about this high!"
Posted on 02/01/2006 12:04:11 PM PST by Icelander
Advocates on both sides of the immigration debate said President Bush missed an opportunity in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to direct Congress on immigration reform, weeks before Senate lawmakers begin to tackle the divisive issue.
Breezing by the issue in just a few sentences, Bush endorsed a program that would allow foreigners to work temporarily in this country, saying the nation needs orderly and secure borders but that the economy couldn't function without immigrants.
His brief mention drew a disappointed rebuke from Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who has led an effort to tighten the nation's borders and enforce immigration laws.
Bush could have "broken the Washington stalemate and secured the most significant immigration reform in a decade," Tancredo said.
Angela Kelley, deputy director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum, also said Bush fell short. "It's really important for him to step up and provide some leadership on this issue," she said.
Senators are expected to take up immigration legislation in the coming weeks.
Immigration has featured heavily in Bush's State of the Union speeches in past years. But with his own party deeply divided over the issue, he devoted just over a paragraph to the subject Tuesday.
Still several lawmakers praised Bush.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, said he was pleased Bush "called for an immigration system that deals with the influx of illegal immigrants realistically. Now it's time for both the House and the Senate to rise to the president's challenge and enact meaningful, comprehensive immigration reform."
How to deal with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country now _ and the thousands crossing the border each year _ has divided Congress and is becoming an increasingly volatile issue at the state and local level.
Even non-border states are wrestling with how to provide government services, such as health care, to illegal immigrants and whether to restrict drivers' licenses and withhold benefits to illegal workers.
Jennifer Allen, who directs the Border Action Network, based in Tucson, Ariz., said immigrants she works with are watching anxiously as Congress talks about building walls at the Mexican border and increasing the penalties for being in the country illegally.
She and other advocates are loudly calling for Congress to fix the nation's troubled immigration system.
This summer, Democratic Govs. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Janet Napolitano, of Arizona declared a state of emergency in their border counties to free up money for immigration-related needs.
Richardson said Bush's brief mention in the State of the Union was a signal the White House would not make it a major issue in the coming months.
"The message I received is that on immigration, we're going to leave the burden on the states like New Mexico and Arizona, and it's sort of like 'You're on your own,'" Richardson said.
In the Senate, Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., have proposed programs that regulate when and how immigrants can come to the U.S.
Kyl said Tuesday that he would have liked to hear more from Bush about immigration, but he was glad "the key elements were there" in his speech.
"It is a very serious problem for Arizona," Kyl said. "I think everyone in the Senate wants to get something done ... whether the president mentions it or not."
Sadly, President Bush's failure to secure the borders is undermining his position WRT the NSA surveillence issue. IOW, he says that he is required by the Constitution to protect us against terrorists, but he refuses to take the needed actions to secure our borders against invasion.
Cherry picking which threats to act on does not lend credibility to his position. It really doesn't.
I am a long time Bush supporter, but I gotta call a spade a spade.
Real guests are invited.
Nice non-answer. Par for yours truly...
Illegal immigration is part of the punishment for legal abortion.
When will we ever learn?
I raise and pick my own tomatoes and other vegetables and can them.....not a problem.....I also mow my own lawn. The problem is the government can't fleece our pockets as much if Americans have to pay more for their food and ADM, CONAGRA, etc. bottom lines aren't as good.......Why is it US citizens were able to labor in the fields 30 years ago and not now? Besides, a lot of harvesting has been automated......another lame excuse to turn a deaf ear and blind eye to the law.
We've had five long years of rhetoric from this President on the issues related to illegal immigration and we still have wide open borders, over one million illegals attempting to enter the US every year and employers still violate the law by hiring illegals. This is undermining our national security. Period. Bush has offered nothing to solve the problems of illegal immigration. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 remains the law of the land. It specifically states that employers who hire illegals will be prosceuted and punished for violating the law. PresBush should enforce the IRCA of 1986. It would go a long way to resolving the illegal immigration problem America has today. If Bush means business, its time for him to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.
Why? English has never been designated as the official language in this country
How many times have you called a bank, retail, catalog, tech support and not got a message in Spanish?
Press one for "English", Press two for "Spanish"
English isn't required now
Requiring English will never happen just like all the guest workers going back when their special visa's are up will happen
Thank you for your comments....the truth really hurts sometimes, don't it. You're dead on target about the illegals and agriculture jobs and moving on to more skilled labor.
So you're against it?
Press 5 three times for Icelandic.
One of the agricultural industries that uses lots of illegal labor is the wine industry. Yet the Australian wine industry which does not have access to cheap labor from Mexico or anywhere else manages to make wines that are every bit as good to my pallet and are considerably cheaper. They have automated and they are thrashing our wine growers in the world market.
The same story can be told about the California vs Australian raisin industry.
There are lots of opportunities for automation in agriculture. The industry would be improved by more expensive labor because they would be forced to invest.
And speaking of expensive labor, Americans might start lining up when the growers start paying decent wages. I read all the time about illegal immigrant day laborers standing around on street corners begging for work with about a 20% chance of getting it. Apparently they would rather suffer 80% underemployment then work for the pathetic wages being offered by agriculture.
The borders are practically wide open with thousands of illegals coming every day and the farmers can't find workers. That ought to tell you something. They don't want just cheap labor. They want temporary slave labor.
"I'm gonna build the fence about this high!"
Legal immigrants can only come into the country after waiting 10 to 30 years, and I am talking about the adult sons and daughters of citizens. My 26 year old stepdaughter is not even allowed to visit her mother in the US during the 10 years it is taking to immigrate. It's a disgrace that Bush wants to let illegal aliens stay, but those who try to do things the right way are blocked.
Of course not. Swedish stewardesses too.
I'm all for free trade and open borders. Illegal entry saps my good will, because an act of defiance for the nation's laws is not the proper way to begin a life as a productive, law-abiding citizen.
No of course not, what I should have said is that English SHOULD made the offical lanuage and we shouldn't have all these "menus", directions, etc in English and Spanish
This is America, we speak English
If you want to live here, LEGALLY, should use too
That's why I said, "throw the doors wide open to legal immigration," OWTTE.
The borders are practically wide open with thousands of illegals coming every day and the farmers can't find workers. That ought to tell you something. They don't want just cheap labor. They want temporary slave labor.
Your #72 is a great post!
Bush could do something about Illegel Immigration... Shut down the borders. But then every Pro-Business Republican and the entire Democratic Party would have a fit. The Dims will say that Bush is racist, classist, and so on. The Pro Business ones would say that we are gitting rid of a cheap labor source.
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