Immigration Reform on Bush Agenda

Washington Post ^ | December 24, 2003 | Mike Allen

[sarcasm]

< SNIP >

Lobbyists working with the White House said Bush is developing a plan that would allow immigrants to cross the border legally if jobs are waiting for them. The sources said the administration also wants to provide a way for some undocumented workers in the United States to move toward legal status.

Bush will try to make the plan more palatable to conservatives by including stricter entry controls, including increased use of technology at the border and steps toward better enforcement of current visa restrictions and reporting requirements, sources said.

< SNIP >

The White House plan is being designed by Bush's senior adviser, Karl Rove, in consultation with the domestic policy staff. Sources said the White House's biggest concern is that the new mechanism not penalize people who had followed the law and reward those who had not. McCain's plan, which was introduced in the House by Reps. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), tries to mitigate that problem by creating a new type of visa for previously undocumented workers who would be allowed to live in the United States legally for three years. Then the workers could apply for the temporary worker visa, which would be the path to a green card, or legal permanent residency. That would amount to a three-year advantage for those who entered legally.

[Shermy]

Bush will try to make the plan more palatable to conservatives by including stricter entry controls, including increased use of technology at the border and steps toward better enforcement of current visa restrictions and reporting requirements, sources said.

Each a sop, intended to do nothing. The bogus "smart borders" plan redux.

[Barnacle]

[11B3]

The "Smart Borders" plan would be to man it with the citizen militia. (Armed.) Post signs on the other side of the border in Spanish stating that to cross illegally can result in apprehension and/or death. Kinda like the disclaimer on my fence here at home.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

They best hurry as primary filing dates are fast approaching in some of the early voting states. Otherwise it's 2008.........

Well there's always Tancredo as a write-in.

[azhenfud]

Bush just as well push for "one time amnesty" for drug dealers, burglars, extortionists, etc. After all, they're here to make a living and fill those "jobs" nobody else wants - just like Illegaliens.

[11B3]

It's bad enough that he's signed all these new entitlements, but now to extend what is essentially an entitlement to Mexicans really sucks.

AMERICA FIRST, Mr. President.

[Nea Wood]

Bush is developing a plan that would allow immigrants to cross the border legally if jobs are waiting for them.

How is somebody in Mexico going to line up a job here and have it "waiting for him"?

This is horrible news. Why, oh, why, is the news on illegal immigration always so bad? I am losing hope day by day.

[Kay Soze]

“Logical consequences" will be that W looses the election and or causes a serious split in conservative support for the GOP.

I know , I know, that if I don’t vote for him the "others' get in!

But maybe just maybe if we did not vote GOP in ‘04 it would cause a little self analysis on the part of 2 or 3 GOP bosses and bring the GOP back to the right of the center.

Currently its way left of the center.

And yes I am Bush bashing.

[RWR8189]

I sure hope Mr Bush can find enough Mexicans to vote for him, being that if things dont improve greatly his base is staying home.

[deport]

Well there's always Tancredo as a write-in.

---

Yep, but I thought you wanted someone that could win. A write in isn't going to cut it, IMO. I here the Greens are looking for a candidate and could maybe generate two % or so for a candidate in a national vote.

[Shermy]

Lobbyists working with the White House

Sounds patently improper to me...you think the Democrats will jump on this as they did with the energy lobbyists...I kinda doubt it.

[B Knotts]

Can we deport Rove?

[King Prout]

oh, (deleted)(censored)(unprintable)!!!
why do I get the feeling that Dubya just created the wedge issue that will kill his reelection?

[Sabertooth]

What you might be missing, is that if folks come in under some system, after which they leave, that leaves less jobs for the illegals.

You might be missing two things in one sentence:

#1: The legalized Illegals won't leave; the McCain/Flake/Kolbe S 1461/HR 2899 legislation puts "guest workers" on track for green cards in three years. This is Amnesty in stages (By contrast, the proposed Amnesty of Bush protege Sen. John Cronyn would Amnesty Illegals who aren't even here yet.).

#2: The jobs the Illegals currently are tresspassing to fill are for Illegal Alien wages. Once legalized, many will be priced out of the market, requiring the next wave of Amnesty-seeking-Illegals to fill those same jobs.

Even if the folks pre vetted south of the border, and in the US, don't leave, it at least might create a more rational system as to who gets the jobs that the economic imperatives demand go to Hispanics who don't speak English very well. In short, while not reducing the Hispanic influx, it might improve the quality. We shall see.

The vetting of "guest workers" south of the border is the lesser function of the legislation.

The primaray effect is that Illegals would be reclassified as "guest workers," if we're not aware that they've committed other crimes, under a new H-4A classification.

In any event, the idea that folks qualified to do "available" jobs in the US that live in Mexico, and can increase their wage by a factor of five, won't fill them, is in the end, an errant idea, whatever the laws, unless employers start going to jail in large numbers.

True, in part. Penalties on Illegal in the American interior are also necessary.

Incumbents, apparently, will need to lose their own jobs for either to happen.

[B Knotts]

Some "Orange Alert" we're under, eh?

10 million illegal aliens, the identities of whom we have no idea, roaming about the country unmolested.

Meanwhile, strip-search for Granny at the airport.

And, the answer is to simply legalize the illegal aliens.

Yep. Makes sense to me. </sarcasm>

[King Prout]

ho-lee shyte! alert
please don't say anything zottably explicit in response.

[TheDon]

We haven't enforced immigration laws properly for decades.

We need to modify our immigration laws to reflect what we are willing to enforce. Otherwise, the rule of law is diminished by having laws on the books we are unwilling to enforce.

That said, the laws should be changed to bring those who have, and would, currently come here illegally, above board.

[org.whodat]

Again. This and the spending spree is why I am not a Republican.

I agree, I even talk my brother-in-law out of voting for bush again, he's in his seventy's and voted stright ticket his whole life.

[TheDon]

H1B? It is obviously an effective program...

[Jodi]

another voting block for the Republican party, hurrah!