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2004-01-07 Home Front
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Bush Calls for Overhaul of U.S. Immigration System
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Details of Bushâes plan emerge....
President Bush proposed a plan Wednesday that would allow illegal immigrants working in the United States to stay here for a limited time if their employers vouch for their jobs. Saying U.S. laws should allow workers to enter the country to fill the jobs Americans are not willing to take, Bush said: "We must make our immigration law more rational and more humane, and I believe we can do so without jeopardizing the livelihood of American citizens."
| Try hanging a sign out saying "Dry-wallers wanted: $7.50 an hour... Bring your own tools." See how many people show up. |
The "temporary worker program" would also allow immigrants to come to the United States if they can prove they have a job lined up and they donât plan to stay here indefinitely.
I dont have a problem with this *if* they receiving the same background checks, medical checks, etc... as legal immigrants undergo now.
"Over the generations, we have received energetic, ambitious, optimistic people from all over the world ... our country is a welcoming society," Bush said. "America is a stronger and better nation because of the hard work and faith and the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants."
True... True...
The presidentâs plan aims to relieve the pressures on hotel maids, meat cutters, landscapers and a host of other illegal workers.
Who now receive very low wages and no protections because they are illegal. Of course that is the choice they make when they choose to be illegal.
Plus, the administration hopes to better secure the nationâs borders and the homeland by making sure even illegals are documented.
Excuse me but this is the dumbest thing I heard all day. If they are âtemporary workersâ and documented then, by definition they are not illegal. There will still be a massive illegal immigrant presence here unless we take steps to kick them (the illegals) out.
"As a nation that values legal immigrants and depends on legal immigrants, we should have immigration laws that work and make us proud," the president said. "Yet today we do not. Instead we see many employers turning to the illegal labor market. We see millions of hard-working men and women condemned to fear and insecurity in a massive undocumented and illegal economy. Illegal entry across our borders makes more difficult the urgent task of securing the homeland." If the United States can better account for those who enter the country, Bush said, it would alleviate current problems, such as illegal immigrants being hesitant to report crimes and authorities having to deal with illegal immigrant issues rather than focusing on the "true threats" terrorists pose.
Will we truly strengthen our borders and actually start deporting illegal aliens?
"Americaâs acting on a basic belief that our borders should be open to legal travel and honest trade," Bush said. "Our borders should be shut and barred tight to criminals, drug traders, drug traffickers ⊠and terrorists."
As they are not today.
The proposal comes in advance of a meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox (search) next week at the Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico. The president had put immigration reform at the top of his agenda while campaigning for the presidency in 2000, but after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, it was placed on the back burner as administration officials and legislators worked to beef up border security. Now that Bush is into his second campaign for the presidency, he hopes to expand support among the Hispanic community, which broke ranks in 2000 by voting in considerable numbers for the Republican candidate. About one-third of Hispanic voters supported Bush in 2000.
| On the other hand, if he was going to do it anyway, he'd be dumber than dirt to wait for after the election, wouldn't he? His history says was a good friend to Texas' often put-upon Hispanics... |
The proposal is also likely to sit well with business leaders who already employ illegal workers in low-wage jobs. Officials estimate that about 8 million illegal immigrants, half of them Mexican, live in the United States already. The presidentâs plan would allow workers who live in the United States a reprieve from deportation if employers agree to give them jobs for three years and are unable to find American citizens willing to do the job. Would-be immigrants would also be allowed to apply if they line up a job in the United States. Illegal workers would pay a fee to apply immediately for a green card for permanent U.S. residency. The applicant would still have to compete for the visa, but would not be deported for three years while the application is under consideration.
See below.. they still have to wait like everyone else....
The number of green cards will be increased but the total number of new cards is not yet decided. Currently, the United States issues 1 million green cards per year, though only 140,000 of them are employment-based. The program would be separate from the temporary visa program that allows technical experts to work in certain sectors of the economy. If workersâ applications are not processed in the first three years of their employment, then workers would have to return to their countries to await final approval.
This sounds like they will have to wait like everyone else. I hope that they will receive a permanent or 10 year ban if they fail to leave the country.
Conservatives opposed to the idea of rewarding immigrants who break the law by illegally entering the United States say the president is basically giving blanket amnesty and encouraging more illegal immigration. But Bush said thatâs exactly what heâs not doing. "I oppose amnesty, placing ILLEGAL undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship," he said. "Granting amnesty encourages violation of our laws and perpetuates illegal immigration. America is a welcoming country, but citizenship must not be the automatic reward for violating the laws of America."
He gets it!
Bush has sought to address conservativesâ concerns by proposing incentives to encourage workers to return home when their visas expire, including allowing them to collect Social Security benefits, which they would be contributing to as legal workers, after they return home. Other opponents of the program say it doesnât do enough to reform the system, despite provisions that would allow dependents to join their parents and freedom of movement inside the United States. "Extremely disappointing," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza and well known Mexican agent. "Theyâre proposing to invite people to be guest workers without providing any meaningful opportunity to remain in the United States to become legal permanent residents."
I call BULLSHIT on this! They have the exact same opportunity (perhaps even more so) then people from Russa or the Philippines, or Spain, or China, or Syria who do not have a open border with the United States.
The National Immigration Forum also issued a statement saying key components of the plan seem to create a near-permanent underclass of workers with only temporary legal standing in this country. "The White House also seems to ignore or inadequately address immigrant families, and without provisions to ensure families can remain intact the proposal will only encourage more undocumented migration," the statement continued.
While House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi welcomed the movement on the issue, "immigration policy must not be the subject of election-year window dressing," said the California Democrat. "While the presidentâs framework is a start, we still need a committed effort to enact family-centered immigration policies that will reunite families, to end the uncertainty that thousands of businesses and millions of workers face every day, and to protect the nation." She said many Democrats are instead supporting legislation like that sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., which would enable 500,000 agricultural workers to become legal permanent residents through earned legalization.
This is rewarding lawbreaking (ILLEGAL) immigrants and punishing law abiding people who are trying to do things legally.
They also support California Democratic Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allardâs DREAM Act that would provide young ILLEGAL immigrants with more higher educational opportunities then american citizens have. But Republicans heralded Bushâs plan as a better way to protect the nationâs borders. "Immigration is a national security issue for all Americans and a matter of life and death for many living along our borders," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. "A comprehensive temporary worker program will dramatically improve the situation at our borders," added Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.
Note that this will only work if we ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS. This means actively patroling the borders, deporting illegalâ. Forcing state and local governments (such as Seattle and California) to enforce federal laws (by cutting off their balls federal funding if they donât). 
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Posted by CrazyFool 2004-01-07 7:05:07 PM||
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Posted by Rex Mundi 2004-1-7 7:29:59 PM||
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