[TruthNtegrity]

Here's what I found on Yahoo, via AP from the White House. Got that chain? :-) Anyway, here ya go!

White House - AP

Bush to Propose Immigration Law Changes
1 hour, 7 minutes ago Add White House - AP to My Yahoo!


By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) will propose immigration law changes to allow workers from Mexico to enter the United States if they have jobs waiting for them, officials said Monday in previewing an election-year measure intended to bolster support among Hispanic voters.

Advocacy groups were invited to the White House on Wednesday to hear details of the program.

"The president has long talked about the importance of having an immigration policy that matches willing workers with willing employers," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "It's important for America to be a welcoming society. We are a nation of immigrants, and we're better for it."

Immigration advocacy groups characterized Bush's move as a politically drawn effort to curry favor with Hispanics, a potent political force, particularly in key states like Florida, California and border states. Two sources speaking on condition of anonymity said Bush would outline a set of principles rather than a detailed piece of legislation, and that the policy statement would draw on bills already pending in Congress.

"It looks very much like a political effort and what they do with these `principles' is going to determine whether this is really a policy initiative or not," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza. "The Latino community knows the difference between political posturing and a real policy debate."

She said the initiative was crafted by Bush's political strategist, Karl Rove, and that the immigration policy community was excluded from the deliberations.

"We know of no one in the immigration policy community, business groups or Latino groups who has been consulted," she said.

Rove, with Bush at a campaign fund-raiser in St. Louis, deflected questions about Bush's proposal.

"Stay tuned," he told a reporter.

Bush's planned announcement comes five days before he meets in Mexico with President Vicente Fox (news - web sites) on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas, a meeting of the hemisphere's leaders.

Mexico is seeking a measure of legality for the approximately 4 million undocumented Mexicans living in the United States and wants a legal way for others to work in the country in the future.

Immigration talks between the United States and Mexico stalled when the Sept. 11 terror attacks prompted the United States to tighten border restrictions, and were set back further by Mexico's refusal to support the Iraq (news - web sites) war. Tensions also arose over Bush's refusal to stop the execution of a Mexican national in Texas.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, at a town hall meeting in Miami last month, hinted at a change of policy when he said the United States needs to "come to grips" with an estimated 8 million to 12 million illegal immigrants and "determine how you can legalize their presence." He also said that the immigrants should not be rewarded citizenship.

Bush, at a year-end news conference in January, said he was preparing to send Congress ideas about an "immigration policy that helps match any willing employer with any willing employee." He said he is "firmly against blanket amnesty," or a mass legalization.

Two guest-worker bills have been proposed in Congress: One from Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain and two of McCain's Republican House colleagues, Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake; and a second from Sen. John Cornyn.

Cornyn, a Texas Republican, has proposed that illegal immigrants could volunteer to work for up to three years if a job exists for them. When they've worked three years, they could apply for legal permanent residence, but must return to their country of origin to do so.

Workers illegally in the United States would have 12 months to apply to the program and after that would no longer be eligible. Those accepted would be given a "blue card," allowing them to travel outside the United States.

The Cornyn proposal would give guest workers the same rights granted Americans under Labor Department (news - web sites) laws and would set up accounts for workers in which employers would deposit money drawn from workers' wages in lieu of withdrawing the money for Social Security (news - web sites) or Medicare.

The money would be held by the Treasury and would be refunded to the worker when the worker returns to his or her home country.

[ohioWfan]

Mike just posted the only immigration policy of the Bush administration in writing since 2001, on another thread.

Would you post it here too, Mike, with your explanation of it?

[hoosiermama]

We have a young man working where I do part time as a janitor. He works hard and is very good at what he does. I suspect he may be illegal, but he has such a wonderful personality and is so appreciative of his job, that no one would even consider saying anything about it. He certainly does a better job, then the lazy "drunk" they had before.

If this scenario is true throughout the nation I hope the president does get some laws changed. Too many people think they have a right to a job ($) without putting out any energy....That borders on socialism.

[azGOPgal]

Great detective work Truthy. Thanks for posting the article for us.

Here is my feeling on immigration, and I don't mean to offend anybody by my own personal views. I don't think that all 8-12 million illegals should be granted amnesty. I don't think that we should close our borders, but I definitely think that security around the boarders needs to be tightened. Cornyn's idea sounds pretty good, but I would have to look into it further in order to make a definitive answer.

[homemom]

Thanks so much for finding this! Quite different than it was presented by the Dems. I think it's interesting that no one in the immigration policy community was included in the discussions--that should stop talk that Bush does what he does just to get votes.

Thanks again!

[Maigrey]

I read the article in question, and I find it appalling that the one person who they quote high up is someone from La Raza! Talk about showing your socialist slant quite early!

Honestly, I am torn on the issue concerning illegal immigration. On one hand, I do not think that for one moment we should reward people who break the law, by utilizing prescious resources without paying into the system, and do not wish to integrate into American society.
On the other hand, the compassionate conservative in me wants those people who are willing to jump through the hoops to remain here, and reward them for trying to integrate into this society.

I understand that the issue of discretion comes into play, but as we speak, who can make the decision of who is allowed to stay (discretion) and who is deported (enforcement)?

The people are going to have hard choices to make, and someone is going to be quite unhappy and sue for it. I bet on this only.