I have always made it very plain that I support the policies of President Bush. Those policies were spelled out in detail by the President when he began his campaign in 1999.
If you are a Texan you should know that they are the same policies he pursued as Governor.
He has always maintained that our present immigration laws do not reflect economic reality. He has always advocated a guest worker program. He has always maintained that we cannot secure our Southern border without a guest worker program. He was about to introduce legislation just prior to 9/11
President Bush does not hire illegal aliens either. But he does have a Masters of Business Administration degree from Harvard University and he understands the dependency of our economy on foreign workers, whether Hispanic, Indian, Asian or other. The vast majority of informed people agree with the President on the need for reform. Its a question of economics and security for the vast majority of people. It's only an emotional ethnic issue for a very few.
I do not oppose "closing the border" to illegal activity, I simply recognize as does the President, and as the Secretary of Homeland Security defense testified to Congress last week; we cannot secure our border until we enact a guest worker program.
We tried toe "seal" the border beginning in 1994. See my profile page for details. It was Jaine Gorelick's project under Janet Reno. The first 66 mile test area was a complete failure so the project was abandoned as not feasible. But with new sophisticated electronic surveillance technology we can secure the border, buy ONLY if we can remove the migrant worker traffic to ports of entry. Satellites, blimps, unmanned planes, underground sensors etc... cannot distinguish a member of MS-13 from a babysitter, and we can't apprehend and process everybody. Remove the laborers and the only people crossing the border will be criminals and terrorists. We can track them electronically and intercept them.
As far as distinguishing between legal and illegal immigrants, I don't. I have no need to. As far as I'm concerned there is no difference. I live in a city that is 40% Hispanic. I have never asked anyone what their citizenship or immigration status is, and I don't care. I decide for myself which people I like and which ones I don't like, not the government. I'm not any more an immigration enforcement office than an IRS enforcement officer than an EPA enforcement officrer, than a EEOC enforcement officer, FTC, FTA, FAA, BIA, FHA, FCA, etc...
I can't look at a person and tell whether their visa has expired. I'm not going to tip a waiter, cab driver, barber,porter etc.. any differently because of their immigration status. What difference does it make whether the mechanic at the dealership who repaired my automobile was legal or not as long as they did a good job?
Yes there is. I and my family and every other Hispanic CITIZEN are LAW ABIDING. Our first action in the United States was NOT a LAW BREAKING ONE. Another difference is that we speak the language and are willing to assimilate, unlike the illegals coming over here now. I think the Administration and those on BOTH sides of the aisle in Congress who are for a "guestworker" program (especially a program that doesn't address the anchor babies my mom helps deliver and also pays for as a county resident) are doing so not for economic reasons (because I'd be willing to pay more than 99 cents per pound for oranges and more than 49 cents per pound for chicken) but to pander to Hispanic voters because of the outcry of vocal La Raza type groups.