January 09, 2004

Bush Urges Immigration Policy Overhaul

Promoting a plan that could brighten his election-year prospects with Hispanic voters, President Bush on Wednesday proposed legal status - at least temporarily - for millions of illegal immigrants working in the United States.

But the sweeping policy overhaul, offered with few specifics, also angered many in the president's conservative Republican base of support and drew criticism from advocacy groups who questioned whether it would do much to help immigrants.

Democrats were united in calling the plan a political ploy that offers a false promise of legitimacy for the undocumented workers.

Decrying a system that now has "millions of hardworking men and women condemned to fear and insecurity in a massive undocumented economy," Bush urged Congress to approve a temporary worker program.

The program would be open to all undocumented workers now in the United States. Applicants who can show they have a job - or for those still in their home countries, a job offer - would get an initial three-year work permit that would be renewable for an unspecified period.

"We should have immigration laws that work and make us proud. Yet today we do not," Bush said in the White House's East Room, which he entered to loud cheers from dozens of representatives from Hispanic organizations and immigration groups.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, praised Bush for opening the debate and said that a new immigration policy should "extend a welcoming hand to those whose presence will benefit our nation and our economy."

Allowing undocumented workers, who make up an unknown percentage of the approximately 8 million illegal immigrants now in the United States, to work legally here would benefit all Americans, Bush argued. He said it would make the nation's borders more secure by allowing officials to focus more on the real threats to the country and would meet U.S. employers' dire need for workers willing to take the low-wage, low-skill jobs unwanted by many Americans.

It also is the right thing to do, Bush said, to pull immigrants who now live in the shadows of American society under the protection of U.S. labor laws, allow them to travel freely back and forth to their home countries, bring dependents they can support here with them and grant them the confidence to talk openly to authorities about crimes and exploitation on the job.

"One of the primary reasons America became a great power in the 20th century is because we welcomed the talent and the character and the patriotism of immigrant families," the president said. "We must make our immigration laws more rational and more humane. And I believe we can do so without jeopardizing the livelihoods of American citizens."

But even as Bush made the announcement, the tough sales job ahead for the White House was apparent as the president's plan drew heated criticism from both the right and the left.

Many conservatives balked at the idea of any reward for people who broke the law by coming to the United States.

"I'm not for allowing illegals to stay in this country," said Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va. "I think they should have to go back to their home countries ... and get in line with Jack, Suzy and John and apply for a guest worker position."
[That's precisely what Bush is proposing, Goode, you idiot.--Jen]

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., predicted Bush's "dangerous and unworkable" proposals would be rejected by Congress. "Neither Mexicans nor anyone else will go through the hassle and paperwork of seeking legal jobs as long as the border is porous and employers can ignore the laws with impunity," he said.

Bush said the program does not provide blanket amnesty - which he defined as an "automatic path to citizenship" - for foreigners who are in the United States illegally.

"America is a welcoming country, but citizenship must not be the automatic reward for violating the laws of America," he said.

While visiting Mexico on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said he was confident that Congress would pass the proposal "because it is a security issue."

Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez welcomed the proposal, but said the United States needs a more concrete plan to help migrants.

But workers accepted into the program would be allowed to immediately, with an employer's sponsorship, begin applying for a green card, which allows permanent U.S. residency. Although these workers would get no advantage over other applicants already in the long line for green cards, an illegal immigrant who attempted to apply now would simply be deported

With about half the illegal immigrants estimated to be from Mexico, the program was designed in part to win Bush increased support among the powerful Hispanic voting bloc in the November presidential election.
[What total BS!--Jen]
He won just over one-third of that constituency in 2000.

It also was aimed at smoothing the United States' sometimes-rocky relations with Mexico ahead of a visit by Bush there next week.
[More BS! Fox is hating it already, because it means he might have to "fix" the Mexican economy!--J.T.]
But the plan was not the broad and immediate amnesty program that Mexican President Vicente Fox has wanted, and the Mexican government's response was tepid. Fox, after a call Wednesday morning from Bush outlining the plan, called it merely "very interesting."

I loved this plan when I first heard the details and here's why:
First of all, as Governor of Texas, President Bush had lots of first-hand experience with our previous non-policy policy on undocumented workers, as Texas has had lots of problems with this for at least the last 30 years (if not forever, what with the Alamo and then our victory for Texas independence at San Jacinto...!).
Bush is NOT doing this to win over Hispanic voters--although its implementation would see that immigrant workers from Hispanic countries would receive more fair treatment--or to "smooth over relations" with Vicente Fox.
I think Bush gave up on Fox a long time ago...and Fox has done a pathetic job of
governing Mexico.
President Bush is stepping into the breach left by so many presidents before him, including even President Reagan, whose amnesty didn't help the problem at all, in an attempt to fix a huge domestic problem, i.e. one of labor being abused, both that of undocumented workers and of American citizens, and to close our porous borders in wartime and since 9/11 when the homeland has been under attack.
Our current tacit policy of "don't ask, don't tell" regarding illegal immigrant laborers hurts them because they aren't eligible to receive truly good wages, any labor benefits like workman's comp, health and dental care, or retirement benefits and the American taxpayers are hurt because our tax money must support scads of social programs to fill this breach.
In addition, illegal immigrant workers usually don't keep the money here, nor do they pay federal, state and local taxes (or Social Security withholding) on their "off the books, cash only" wages.
The "real costs" to Americans of having "cheap" illegal labor are huge.
I believe the way that Bush's plan will work is that because it requires immigrants to have a "specific" job or job offer to leave their home country, you will see very little of this after it goes into effect.
Most migrant workers from Latin America come to do low-paid, unskilled or low-skill jobs which they find when they get over the border.
Most US employers aren't going to go to the expense of advertising, recruiting and screening potential Hispanic employees for such low-paying, low-skill-level jobs and they won't.
Some won't want the American public to know that they've used illegal alien labor.
Others will find that the jobs they've had illegal workers doing are either unnecessary or can be done by machines or that Americans will be actually willing to take them (at higher, more fair wages).
Clearly, we haven't been able to summon the political will to solve this problem via our Congresspeople nor have we been able or willing to enforce the immigration laws we have on the books already.
Only President Bush using the "bully pulpit" and the impetus of national security in wartime has the authority and resolve to motivate Congress to get off their fat rear ends and pass this!
The Dims, along with La Raza Unida and LULAC, don't like this because to them it means (illegal) voters, whom they promise big social (think "Pork") programs and because I think they see where this is ultimately going.
Some of the GOP are "outraged" as a knee jerk reaction because they mis-hear the plan's details and think that Bush is giving undocumented workers a blanket amnesty.
As I've tried to point out, he's doing anything but that.
The Fox Administration in Mexico will hate it, because it means that their "safety valve" of the US is closing and soon and Vicente will have to fix his own moribund economy or be voted out.
(I predict the latter. What has he done, anything?)
It's high time that immigrants from primarily Mexico and Central America stopped getting a "free pass" into America just because they can get across the border on foot or by a short car trip.
Immigrants from Europe, Asia and Africa have always, since our founding, had to go through the paces to come here legally, settle down and become citizens.
Most Hispanics come here simply to work--they send most of their wages back to their home countries and go back there when they've made enough money.
I imagine that they wouldn't leave home if they economically didn't have to.
If we close the door (and in my mind, it will mean leaning on the US employers as much or more than the migrant workers) and force countries like Mexico to get their act together, we're all going to be a lot happier, more productive and above all, safer and more secure.
Kudos to President Bush and his team: once again, he pleasantly surprised me with his ingenious solution to an old problem!
Can he and his Administration think "outside the box" or what?!
Given the reaction he's gotten from both the Left and his own beloved Right, President Bush has taken another big political risk to do this now and in such a bold fashion.
If he were worried about his reelection, rather than doing the Right Thing for America and Americans, he would have waited until the race was over in November or just left the problem to fester, as his predecessors have.
Knowing that Islamist terrorists could waltz over either border (with Mexico or Canada) with a nuke or a dirty bomb at any time and dealing with the fear that they may already have will give a POTUS "Dutch courage" to fix the problem pretty decisively and President Bush has got a plan.
Look for the Canadian border to be strengthened along with that of Mexico's should Congress have the infinite wisdom and foresight to pass this, as I pray and hope they will.