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."
Stop! You're bringing tears to my eyes!
Chris Cannon's former top aide David Safavian was a partner of Jack Abramoff. Safavian, like Abramoff, has been arrested.
Cannon was a recipient of 'donations' from Abramoff and Safavian.
I keep hoping that Chris Cannon gets a promotion to the Big House before this is all over.
That will never work.
Fences never work.
We must give amnesty because family values aren't stopped by fences. Or something.
Lol! Hey, where do I get one of those bayourod buttons? All I can find is this Duh-ane model, and it just wants to drink koolaid.
Now you have something there... it's not 'illegal immigration', it's 'compassionate immigration'. What's astounding is that the White House isn't trying to pass off their amnesty in exactly that phrase.
The 'gators ate him after Katrina wrecked their swamp.
Secure the borders with all means necessary, including a dual-wall system and 'depth charges' to prohibit tunneling.
THEN talk a shamnesty Guest Worker program.
Are these the same "plans" Vincente Fox proposes Poker Night at the ranch?
The "plan":
* Minimal Border Enforcement
* NO penalties for employers of illegal invaders
* Awarding virtual amnesty for illegals ALREADY HERE on the 6-year plan (like they won't have an anchor baby??)
* NO coherent mandate by the President to register the flood of law breakers already here.
* No addressing the "anchor-baby" issue problem
* Total BS and Lip-Service by the President last night on this issue.
And you wonder why nobody takes your seriously?
OR was that "6-year guest worker" BS about it?
Fill us in on what that's like.
No, I think we should all pay 3 times as much for tomatos picked by union workers.
The GOP is just itching to be the minority party again, isn't it?
These threads which you all are so fond are are Exhibit A, so I'm sure you have at least a passing familiarity with the feeling.
You're not the least bit interested in "addressing" anything with me. You're just looking for somebody new to beat over the head with the reams of factoids you have convinced yourself make your right and the rest of us wrong.
Howlin, you're the one who claimed regarding illegal immigration that, "A lot of people, including the president, have put forth plans or ideas; they all get shot down."
All I'm asking for is for specifics. Real ones.
You know exactly what the president's plan is; you know all the others, too.
God knows you're all spent enough time shooting them down.
Until George Bush includes the stratospheric costs of illegal alien incarceration and medical costs (in addition to public school costs and so many other welfare and other costs), then President Bush 's "plans" are a joke.
All President Bush talks about is "guest worker" plans and refuses to level with the American public that illegal aliens costs this nation more than the illegal alliens produce for us.
God knows you're all spent enough time shooting them down."
(Sigh) At least try channeling me with a hint....
OR let us try the Vulcan "Mind-Meld."
You're here posting on them, ergo I defer to your undoubted expertise with the experience. Ipse dixit. Bubble bubble toil and trouble, eh howly?
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