Posted on 12/29/2004 6:21:51 AM PST by Ginifer
(CNSNews.com) - President Bush is moving forward with his plans to create a "Temporary Worker Program" that would allow millions of illegal aliens to remain and work in the U.S. for a minimum of three years with no fear of deportation or other punishment. Advocates of tougher immigration policies believe the president is ignoring the costs and potential dangers posed by illegal immigration.
In his final, scheduled, formal press conference of the year, the president criticized current U.S. immigration policy.
"The system we have today is not a compassionate system. It's not working," Bush said Dec. 20. "And, as a result, the country is less secure than it could be with a rational system."
Any proposed changes to immigration policy must take into account what the president calls "reality.""
\ldblquote There are some jobs in America that Americans won't do and others are willing to do," Bush said. "We ought to have a system that recognizes people are coming here to do jobs that Americans will not do. And there ought to be a legal way for them to do so."
According to a White House fact sheet entitled, "Fair and Secure Immigration Reform," the president's "Temporary Worker Program" would allow new immigrants to the U.S. and those currently here illegally to accept employment "when no American worker is available and willing to take a job.""
Ira Mehlman, media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told the Cybercast News Service that Bush's proposal is, "a great plan if your objective is to destroy the middle class in the United States.
"If you are going to offer employers the opportunity to bring in unlimited numbers of guest workers then there is never going to be any incentive to increase wages in this country [or] to improve working conditions," Mehlman said. "Upward mobility will become a thing of the past if such a plan is enacted."
Bush says program would not provide 'automatic citizenship'
The program would last three years, but would be renewable. Bush insists he is not proposing amnesty, or an easier road to citizenship, for illegal aliens.
"Now, one of the important aspects of my vision is that this is not automatic citizenship. The American people must understand that," the president stressed. "If somebody who is here working wants to be a citizen, they can get in line like those who have been here legally and have been working to become a citizen in a legal manner."
Mehlman disagreed.
"Even he would have to recognize that a program that allows millions of people, who have broken the law, to gain legal status in this country is an amnesty," Mehlman insisted. "Even though he swears it's not an amnesty program, that's exactly what it is; it is rewarding people who have broken the law.""
Supporters of tougher immigration laws also doubt, according to Mehlman, that there will be anything temporary about the "Temporary Worker Program."
"He's talking about a three-year temporary worker visa, renewable for three more," Mehlman observed. "And at the end of the six years, these people will, of course, all say, 'Thank you very much. We really appreciate the opportunity to work here and now we're going home.' Yeah, right."
The Bush proposal also includes provisions to allow participants to cross back and forth from their country of origin to maintain family ties. President Bush said U.S. Border Patrol agents need to focus on more important duties.
"[W]e want our border patrol agents chasing crooks and thieves and drug runners and terrorists, not good-hearted people who are coming here to work," Bush argued.
'Preposterous' plan fails to address security concerns
Mehlman complained that recommendations by the 9/11 Commission to tighten immigration policy were removed from the legislation passed by Congress due to pressure from those lobbying to protect illegal aliens.
"Special interest politics and greed seem to even trump homeland security," Mehlman concluded, "despite the fact that we've seen what the potential consequences are from not enforcing immigration laws."
Mehlman believes security must be the primary concern in immigration policy and that it is lacking in the proposal to allow for millions of "temporary workers."
"The idea that they are going to do thorough, comprehensive background checks on all these people to make sure that we're not letting in criminals or potential terrorists is preposterous," Mehlman said. "They couldn't even do a decent background check on their own nominee for Homeland Security secretary."
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerrick withdrew his nomination for that post after allegations surfaced that he had ties to companies that have business dealings with the Department of Homeland Security and that he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny and did not pay his portion of her payroll taxes.
The president also argued that his plan would "take the pressure off of employers." Mehlman believes that is a mistake, as well.
"What we have to do is create disincentives against illegal immigration," Mehlman said. "Right now, we're creating incentives. We don't enforce the laws against employers."
Mehlman acknowledged that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents cannot arrest every illegal alien or catch every employer who knowingly hires them. He believes effective immigration law enforcement means applying "leverage" to selected companies.
"You go after some of the employers that have been hiring illegal immigrants with impunity, even though it's against the law. You fine them sufficiently to send a message, the same way that the highway patrol enforces the speed limit on the freeway when they want to," Mehlman said. "They don't stop every single speeder. But, if you're driving along at 80 miles an hour and you see somebody else being pulled over, you slow down."
Such an enforcement strategy would have a ripple effect, according to Mehlman.
"If you go after enough employers to give the rest of them the idea that we're serious about enforcing the law, they will then refrain from hiring illegal immigrants," Mehlman said. "The word gets back, 'Don't come to the United States illegally because nobody's going to take a chance on hiring you.'"
Mehlman believes such a policy would have a similar effect on illegal aliens currently living and working in the U.S.
"Many who are already here [illegally] would leave and go home," Mehlman continued. "The objective is to encourage more people who are here illegally to go home. If you cannot get access to a job, if you can't get access to anything but emergency social benefits, there's no incentive to remain here."
FAIR disputes economic argument for illegal immigration
Mehlman also dismissed the common argument that reducing the available pool of illegal immigrant labor would drive up food prices.
"The labor cost in agriculture is about 10 percent. So, a dollar's worth of produce today would cost you about $1.10 tomorrow if they doubled everybody's wages," Mehlman said.
What little savings consumers reap from lower labor costs are multiplied in other areas, Mehlman argued.
"Maybe you do save a few pennies here and there because there are low-wage illegal immigrant workers doing jobs in this country that Americans would demand a higher wage for," Mehlman explained, "but in return you are providing education for the children of these illegal immigrants, you're providing the health care because these employers are not providing a Blue Cross/Blue Shield (health insurance) program for them. All sorts of social costs are being added on."
But President Bush described his proposal as a more \ldblquote compassionate way to treat people who come to our country." Mehlman wondered about the president's compassion for unemployed and underemployed U.S. citizens.
"What we're wrestling with here is the impact that it has on this country, the impact that it has on people struggling to make a living and make a decent life for themselves and their families, the impact on schools and social services," Mehlman said. "The president didn't tell us who's going to pay to educate all the kids of these 'guest workers' he wants to bring here. Who's going to pay for all the health care needs that they're going to have when they get here?"
Who said anything about stopping Immigration?
Do you understand the difference between legal and illegal?
Non sequitur.
Please. My argument is against ILLEGAL immigration. Do you understand the difference between the wonders of legal immigrants making the American dream come true, and ILLEGAL immigration, which hurts the legal immigrants more than anyone else??? If you do not understand the difference, let's stop this silliness.
The President *is* proposing changes to the laws. Yet his proposed changes to the laws are drawing an outraged fury from the same folks who say the status quo is unacceptable.
Why should it be our responsibility to control the citizens of some other country?
How about America tells Mexico to control its citizens, or else?
Castro does a good job of it.
East Berlin did a good job of it.
Why can't Mexico?
But big business likes doing business with Mexico.
So that that will never happen.
(Most of this upsurge in illegal immigration stems from NAFTA. THINK: when did illegal immigration mushroom And when was NAFTA enacted?)
You are now calling those who oppose you NAZIS yet you have not stated your actual position on illegal immigration. Are you for open borders, or do you just get off by calling other people racists?
When an immigrant's visa expires does he suddenly become a rapist, murderer, drug dealer and litterer?
If the difference between a good immigrant and a bad one is simply the technicality of legal status, then we should support President Bush's guest worker plan and make as many as possible legal.
Well now there are illegal aliens, and legal non immigrant aliens, legal aliens admitted for permanent residence. Those admitted for permanent residence don't have visas that expire, but can be deported for cause. Those legally admitted as non-immigrants can come to visit for business or pleasure and in some cases temporary work and must leave when their visa expires. There is a big difference between the groups, and legal immigrants admitted for permanent residence have a whole different status and outlook than those admitted for a short time or here illegally. When someones visa expires or they violate the terms of it, they are breaking the law. Are you advocating they break the law? What about the millions who wait their turn to immigrate legally? What do you tell them, that they are stupid to wait and obey the law? People willing to break the law to get here IMO are more likely to break other laws and the statistics seem to prove that true.
No we should not just "legalize" illegals, they should not benefit from breaking the law. The difference between a good immigrant and a bad one is many and varied but IMO the US should control its immigration and who it allows to immigrate and the numbers of people it lets immigrate, not just have a sweeping legalization of illegals. If we were to do that we should also allow anyone who didn't break the law and waited their turn to immigrate as well as anyone else who cares to come here..an open border..of course that would be ridiculous but that seems to be what you want... I have talked to many legal resident aliens and almost everyone of them have had enough of the illegals and want them out.
Still waiting for an answer to my previous question:
Tell me why should I pay taxes for schooling, medical and prison incarceration for illegals who shouldn't be in this country? Is it so you can profit from their labor? Then aren't you being subsidized by my tax dollars? I consider that rank socialism, robbing me of my money so you can benefit. In effect, you are picking my pocket. How is an American who tries to get these things or even work in Mexico or other foreign countries treated?
That's only about a thousand dollars monthly P&I.
I can hear the dozers now clearing the land behind my house for a large subdivision where the homes in one section will start at Three and 1/2 Million dollars.
Maybe the reason people here can afford them is because we have a large immigrant labor force fueling our prosperity.
Economists call it an "externality".
It is where a business cuts its costs by dumping its costs on others. Like getting taxpayers to build your sports stadium. Or scrimping on pollution controls and letting the people around your plant die of cancer or emphysema. Or bringing in illegals and letting the taxpayer pick up the social services and law enforcement tab.
Uh he has, and proposed a system to bring some sanity to the system that was dismantled by LBJ 40 years ago.
We may be the descendants of both slaves and slave owners here now, too, but we do have the right to speak up on current policy affecting America
And where have I spoken out against that?
All I'm saying is that the vast majority of us on FR are descendants of immigrants running away from tyranny, and I'm speaking out against those who wish to be tyrannical against those who wish to run from tyranny now.
JMO, it seems that President Bush has gained the trust of these hard working, God Fearing people, and thus hillary's pandering to the, IMO, neo-American Nationalist Socialist faction in American politics.
Bush's comments are providing the fury.
Bush is skirting the subject of law-breaking and that is what makes us upset. He is not calling ILLEGAL immigration what it is. I would disagree but not be furious with him, if her were to openly say that he wishes any entry into this country to be considered legal.
I understand why Vicente Fox says that these people are not breaking any laws. They bring back a lot of his bacon. Get rid of his troublesome poor. But I don't understand why Bush is being dishonest on this subject.
Put on your Border Patrol hat and drive over to the job sites. You'll enjoy the rapid action scenes.
Just because they were fools who let my ancestors in, doesn't mean I have to be a fool, too.
After reading your post on this, I no longer wonder why Democrats do so well among Hispanics. It's pretty much a "No Hispanics need apply" sign on your door.
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this is the most idiotic statement this thread.
>>I hate to criticize the President,<<
Did you vote for him? Yes? Then you have a right to criticize him the same as anyone who is helping pay his paycheck.
Too Sweet! You care to deny that you employ ILLEGAL's ? Blackbird.
Your post #52 is so far off the mark, I don't know where to begin.
Try visiting one of your States Technical vocational High Schools. Ask the recent Graduates WHO exactly is taking their jobs......jobs they have trained 4 years for.
Get real, amigo
Those foreigners would have been Americans today if their ancestors were as smart as mine were.
But their ancestors chose not to come to America, and now their descendants are crying about it. Too bad.
Yawn. Just another anti-American La Raza talking point from bayourod.
According to the Wall Street Journal: "FAIR, NumbersUSA, Project-USA and more than a half-dozen similar groups that Republicans have become disturbingly comfy with, were founded or funded (or both) by John Tanton, a retired doctor in Michigan. In addition to trying to stop immigration to the U.S., appropriate population-control measures for Dr. Tanton and his network include promoting China's one-child policy, sterilizing Third World women and wider use of RU-486. "
So, what's your point? How about making a comment about those anti-American brown supremacist groups such as La Raza, LULAC, MALDEF, and MEChA that you seem to have gotten comfy with.
I believe I mentioned the webmaster and Bay. As I thought, you don't have Buchanan working with Tancredo. What you do have, and prefer to ignore, is a Tancredo guest worker program that meets America's labor needs without legalizting any illegal aliens.
He's going atfer conservatives like Chris Cannon in Utah (who just happened to piece together the seedy background of John Tanton take a look: http://chriscannon.house.gov/press2004/march24.htm - not that it'll matter).
Chris Cannon's got La Raza and MALDEF endorsements for his AgJobs plan to legalize illegal aliens on his house.gov site. He's not a very impressive individual.
Hey, he'll raise a lot of for that... pandering to hysteria over this issue has made some folks a lot of money.
You complain that business interests will be somehow hamstrung without illegal aliens, so it doesn't appear that you really mind anyone taking in money on the issue, does it?
The Tancredo guest worker proposal meets America's labor needs without legalizing any illegal aliens. You may not like it, but you can't escape it.
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