Posted on 02/01/2006 12:04:11 PM PST by Icelander
Advocates on both sides of the immigration debate said President Bush missed an opportunity in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to direct Congress on immigration reform, weeks before Senate lawmakers begin to tackle the divisive issue.
Breezing by the issue in just a few sentences, Bush endorsed a program that would allow foreigners to work temporarily in this country, saying the nation needs orderly and secure borders but that the economy couldn't function without immigrants.
His brief mention drew a disappointed rebuke from Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who has led an effort to tighten the nation's borders and enforce immigration laws.
Bush could have "broken the Washington stalemate and secured the most significant immigration reform in a decade," Tancredo said.
Angela Kelley, deputy director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum, also said Bush fell short. "It's really important for him to step up and provide some leadership on this issue," she said.
Senators are expected to take up immigration legislation in the coming weeks.
Immigration has featured heavily in Bush's State of the Union speeches in past years. But with his own party deeply divided over the issue, he devoted just over a paragraph to the subject Tuesday.
Still several lawmakers praised Bush.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, said he was pleased Bush "called for an immigration system that deals with the influx of illegal immigrants realistically. Now it's time for both the House and the Senate to rise to the president's challenge and enact meaningful, comprehensive immigration reform."
How to deal with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country now _ and the thousands crossing the border each year _ has divided Congress and is becoming an increasingly volatile issue at the state and local level.
Even non-border states are wrestling with how to provide government services, such as health care, to illegal immigrants and whether to restrict drivers' licenses and withhold benefits to illegal workers.
Jennifer Allen, who directs the Border Action Network, based in Tucson, Ariz., said immigrants she works with are watching anxiously as Congress talks about building walls at the Mexican border and increasing the penalties for being in the country illegally.
She and other advocates are loudly calling for Congress to fix the nation's troubled immigration system.
This summer, Democratic Govs. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Janet Napolitano, of Arizona declared a state of emergency in their border counties to free up money for immigration-related needs.
Richardson said Bush's brief mention in the State of the Union was a signal the White House would not make it a major issue in the coming months.
"The message I received is that on immigration, we're going to leave the burden on the states like New Mexico and Arizona, and it's sort of like 'You're on your own,'" Richardson said.
In the Senate, Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., have proposed programs that regulate when and how immigrants can come to the U.S.
Kyl said Tuesday that he would have liked to hear more from Bush about immigration, but he was glad "the key elements were there" in his speech.
"It is a very serious problem for Arizona," Kyl said. "I think everyone in the Senate wants to get something done ... whether the president mentions it or not."
Do you have a plan? Cuz what we've been doing sure isn't working....
"I guess you missed the part about "bringing the illegals in out of the shadows"."
I guess I did.
My post was quoted from his speech.
Here's the transcript.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1569147/posts
"Cut off their taxpayer freebees, (heavily) fine employers who hire them, and end the anchor baby incentive. ......and then watch them self-deport."
None of which will be done under the Bush Administration.
Unfortunately not.
You specifically said "picking tomatos". This machine does that. It's legal, does not require social services, and it creates jobs. There are other machines that perform the tasks you have added.
Typical leftist tactic. Try to focus on a minor point of the argument to avoid having to answer the main point. Or cry racism. You're not getting away with it. I'll repeat my characterization of what you illegal labor slavers do:
"Hiring illegals any other way is fraud, illegal labor practices, and tax cheating. Period, end of. Spin that, pennies."
A lot of people, including the president, have put forth plans or ideas; they all get shot down
I call for a FREAKIN' WALL FIRST!
Then, if the labor market tightens too much, start a guest worker program.
See my post #108
Ah, but that's the point isn't it. Utilizing Illegal labor shifts the real costs to the taxpayers. Some assume they are paying less for the item or service when in fact they are not.
Funny how when the guest worker issue comes up people jump to agricultural labor. The guest worker program will apply to every job sector.
Well....do you (or anyone else!) have any idea how WE can help then?? Writing letters and making phone calls have fallen on deaf ears.
Because (among other things) it's mighty annoying out here among the border states. Mighty. I wouldn't wish what's happening here on my worst enemy.
We can call it, "Compassionate Immigration."
Very high chance of your prediction happening. Damn close to 100%. Bush calling Clinton his "brother" instead of reminding the American public he is a disgraced, impeached, lying felon does not help matters.
I question the greymatter of George Bush. Or, at least, I question his belief in the pro-American, conservative, Founding Fathers, "right from wrong" beliefs in that he is in fact handing the presidency to Scumbagette (an anti-American, anti-traditional American values, anti-Founding Fathers RAT bitch) on a silver platter, as you predicted.
I think the Border Issue may become Bush's al-Queda. What I mean is Clinton refused to accept al-Q's throwing down the gauntlet, declaring war and attacking us repeatedly, so Bush inherited 9-11. If we don't get whacked across the border before Bush gets out, the terror and lawlessness that exists there right now may spread and turn into an even bigger problem than al-Q.
Up until 9/11 they did not even track who left.
Now they do.
It is very easy to just coordinate the computer database of the BCIS to generate a letter to the employer upon the "terminate date". The terminate date will give the "guest" 30 days to leave the country (ala the current bag and baggage order of the immigration courts). If a departure is not recorded the employer is sent a letter which requires them to swear UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY PERSONALLY AND CORPORATE PENALTY the employee has left.
IF (very big IF) they think this out is can be REASONABLE. Those that remain automatically have a felony warrent put out for them and an immiration hold.
I haven't seen him or dane yet. IIRC, they have similar opinions on the subject.
Why?
Because they know it would work, and they want to keep that dirt cheap illegal alien labor coming.
I posted to myself. DOH!
May I direct you to post #130.
It almost sounds like Bush is thinking about the old Bracero Program that President Kennedy killed in 1963.
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