|
US president presses for new immigration strategy
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-29 08:30
US President Bush said Monday he wants to crack down on those who enter the
country illegally but also give out more visas to foreigners with jobs, a dual
plan he hopes will appease the social conservatives and business leaders who are
his core supporters.
"The American people should not have to choose between a welcoming
society and a lawful society," Bush said from the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
about an hour from the Mexican border. "We can have both at the same time."
The touchy issue of immigration has divided lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Senate
Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he will bring up the issue early next
year. The House hopes to tackle some border security measures before adjourning
for the year, but little time remains and it has other issues on its plate.
Bush also was pitching his plan in Arizona and Texas on Tuesday, two border
states that are home to GOP senators who have been vocal on the need to change
immigration laws but who aren't entirely sold on Bush's vision.
US president Bush speaks about border and
immigration reform at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz.,
Monday, Nov. 28, 2005.[AP] | The idea for
temporary worker visas has been especially divisive and is stalled in Congress.
Bush said he does not support amnesty for illegal immigrants, but he does want
to give workers a way to earn an honest living doing jobs that other Americans
are unwilling to do and issue more green cards.
"Listen, there's a lot of opinions on this proposal," Bush said. "I
understand that, but people in this debate must recognize that we will not be
able to effectively enforce our immigration laws until we create a temporary
worker program."
Bush spoke to a supportive audience that included border patrol agents and
military troops. He was flanked by two black Customs and Border Protection
helicopters and giant green and yellow signs that said "Protecting America's
Borders."
He said he is providing border agents with cutting-edge technology like
overhead surveillance drones and infrared cameras, while at the same time
constructing simple physical barriers to entry.
The president's push on border security and immigration comes a month after
Bush signed a $32 billion homeland security bill for 2006 that contains large
increases for border protection, including 1,000 additional Border Patrol
agents.
Bush has been urging Congress to act on a guest worker program for more than
a year. Under his plan, undocumented immigrants would be allowed to get
three-year work visas. They could extend that for an additional three years, but
would then have to return to their home countries for a year to apply for a new
work permit.
Sen. John McCain along with Sen. Edward Kennedy has proposed providing
illegal immigrants in the United States visas for up to six years. After that,
they must either leave the United States or be in the pipeline for a green card,
which indicates lawful permanent residency.
Sens. John Cornyn and Jon Kyl support an alternative proposal that would
require illegal immigrants to return to their home country to apply for a
temporary worker program.
McCain and Kyl appeared with Bush, while Kennedy issued a statement
criticizing the president for talking about immigration reform without acting
after nearly five years in office. And it wasn't just Democrats saying that —
Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said Americans "are tired of talk
and ready for action."
And, she added, "We have no business discussing guest worker programs until
we can actually prevent illegal entry."
|
