Posted on 03/25/2006 3:48:49 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The debate over immigration stretched from the White House to the West Coast on Saturday as thousands of demonstrators protested proposals to crack down on illegal immigrants.
President Bush, in addressing an issue that has divided his party, underscored America's immigrant history and called for secure borders and strict immigration enforcement.
Bush also urged Congress to write new immigration law with a guest worker program that could provide legal status — short of citizenship — for some of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
"As we debate the immigration issue, we must remember there are hardworking individuals, doing jobs that Americans will not do, who are contributing to the economic vitality of our country," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
The House has passed legislation that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border. The Senate is to begin debating immigration proposals on Tuesday.
In Los Angeles, thousands of people — some waving and wearing flags of Mexico and other nations — streamed into downtown streets for what was expected to be one of the city's largest pro-immigrant rallies.
Efforts to get tough on illegal immigration also spurred thousands of people to stage school walkouts, work stoppages and marches on Friday in cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Atlanta.
The demonstrations are expected to culminate April 10 in a "National Day of Action" organized by labor, immigration, civil rights and religious groups.
Bush, who plans to attend a naturalization ceremony on Monday in Washington, is bracing for a standoff in the Senate this week before he heads south to Cancun, Mexico, where he'll discuss immigration with Mexican President Vicente Fox, a supporter of Bush's guest worker plan.
"America is a nation of immigrants, and we're also a nation of laws, and our immigration laws are in need of reform," Bush said.
Bush wants Congress to create a program to let foreigners gain legal status for a set amount of time to do specific jobs. When the time is up, they would be required to return home without an automatic path to citizenship.
"This program would create a legal way to match willing foreign workers with willing American employers to fill jobs that Americans will not do," he said.
Some critics argue that a guest worker program would create an underclass of foreign workers and stigmatize some jobs associated with foreign labor.
Some Republicans worry that the foreign workers would stay on and become citizens, further straining America's social service and education systems.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., thinks immigration enforcement, national security and border concerns should drive immigration reform. Frist's bill, which sidesteps the question of temporary work permits, would tighten borders, add Border Patrol agents and punish employers who hire illegal immigrants.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., backed by labor unions, has said he will do all he can, including filibuster, to thwart Frist's legislation.
The hottest debate in the Senate will be whether to pass some version of a guest worker program proposed by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. Their bill would provide up to 400,000 visas in the first year and allow participants, after six years, to seek permanent residency.
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Associated Press writers Peter Prengaman and Tim Molloy in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Bush also urged Congress to write new immigration law with a guest worker program that could provide legal status — short of citizenship — for some of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
then everybody needs to rethink their party loyalty and/or affiliation.
"Where do I write and make sure the president will read it?"
There's very little chance in that happening. But you can call the White House and talk to a real person at 202-456-1414. The RNC at 202-863-8545.
Remember though, Bush will piss on a spark plug before he does what Americans want done.
Foreigners who've entered America illegallly, should be punished for breaking US law. Employers violate US law in hiring illegals, should be prosecuted and punished under existing law. The IRCA of 1986 contained strong provisions to remove the biggest reason foreigners wanted to enter the US. EMPLOYMENT * JOBS * WORK
From FoxNews, June 10 2004
In 1986, there were about 2.5 million illegal aliens in the U.S. who Congress and the Reagan administration regarded as being “safe” – that is, not having committed serious crimes or otherwise being dangerous, and having sufficient ties to American life to be allowed to remain here. Many members of Congress, chiefly Democratic members, regarded the amnesty of these illegal aliens a sine qua non of any attempt to reform our immigration laws. Reagan recognized this, and, being the optimist that he was, saw something humane and profitable in affording this relatively small group of illegal aliens legal status.
In exchange for legal status for the group, Reagan insisted that the magnet attracting illegal aliens to the United States be removed by extinguishing any incentive for U.S. employers to hire illegal aliens. In tandem with the amnesty, Reagan campaigned for employer sanctions for hiring illegal aliens, sanctions so stringent that many at the time regarded them as draconian.
Reagan reasoned that if an employer were fined for hiring an illegal alien (as much as $1 million in the worst cases), any payroll savings achieved by the hiring would be wiped out by the fine. In effect, it would be more expensive to hire illegal aliens than to hire Americans or lawful permanent residents. The few illegal aliens who continued to take the gamble and cross the border would be intercepted by a robust and more generously funded Border Patrol.
While Reagan’s 1986 immigration reforms (search) can at least be called rational, they were a failure. Today, there are between 8 million and 11 million illegal aliens in the United States. The majority of them crossed our southern border and has found employment — illegal employment, but employment nonetheless. This is attributed to Sen. Ted Kennedy’s eventual gutting of the enforcement mechanism for Reagan's employer sanctions, and successive administrations refusing to give our Border Patrol the resources it needs to achieve its mission.
In 1986, though, President Reagan showed a clear recognition between wrong and right. If U.S. employers were to gain from the employment of people whose very presence in our country was a crime, then they would at least have to pay for it.
How far we’ve come since 1986. At the moment, there are two amnesty bills pending in Congress, and both predicate an illegal aliens’ eligibility on the very thing that President Reagan fought so hard to stamp out: illegal alien employment.
That was trotted out by Linda Chavez as she was being interviewed by Larry Kudlow-another, equally clueless, open borders Republican-today.
BTW, her radio show has been cancelled in favor of all-Spanish language programming.
Talk about irony.
Although, I doubt she'll grasp it.
*sigh*
I used to pick apple with my grandparents in eastern Washington. I also worked Burger King at 16 y/o. Difficult finding an AMERICAN teen around here working fast food.
Bull flipping crap Mr. President.
The president might have been born in a wealthy class, but I sure wasn't I worked all kinds of lower paying jobs to put myself through school,now what are kids without family support suposed to do for a higher education? All these illegals drive labor cost to the celler,great for those with big stock porfolios the rest of us,well it just plain sucks. I am extremly angry over this he just doesn't either get it or care.
You were here for years telling us what was coming down, and you took alot of crap.
Unfortunately, it's going to happen to many more of us, because laws aren't being enforced, and the Politicians we have elected don't give a damn about their country anymore. Only their own interests.
They don't care what happens 10 years down the road.
.
Warm regards,
spectre and wife
It's time to end "Bread & Circus" routine. Unless someone has have a permanent mental or physical disability that prevents them from being gainfully employed, I say cut off all government aid to all the lazy bums. From the money saved, we could easily build two walls and a couple of trenches along the southern border. If they want a job, they can go build help build the wall.
Time to build the wall. If I wanted to live in Mexico, I would move there.
BTTT, Penny. Thank you...
Crude, but accurate! Blackbird.
Keep these pictures from Los Angeles in mind when writing your checks to the IRS on April 15th.
I would love to be there, but I work. Our tax dollars are supporting these protesters so that they can take time to protest US. The very ones who pay taxes to support THEM.
I have a shredder, and I am not afraid to use it.
Man, I would love to see you guys draw numbers similar to what we saw in Los Angeles today. Our country's future is on the line...
Maybe the Democrats have got it right - but for the wrong reasons.
Perhaps it is time to impeach George Bush and give Dick Cheney a chance at getting a handle on this disgracefully out-of-control illegal immigration situation? Obviously Bush isn't going to do it.
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