Posted on 04/24/2006 11:25:27 AM PDT by kellynla
President Bush in Irvine today called for a rational, temporary guest worker program and said that attempting to deport as many as 12 million undocumented workers illegally in the United States was a policy that was not going to work.
Bush capped a four-day trip to California with a visit to the Orange County Business Council, made up of 300 businesses, where he gave his most detailed comments on immigration since a bipartisan compromise in the Senate fell apart more than two weeks ago.
Congress returned to Washington today from its holiday recess with immigration policy one of the key unresolved issues on its agenda.
"We cannot lose sight of that we are talking about human beings that need to be treated with respect," Bush told the group, adding, "Massive deportation of human beings is not going to work."
As he has before, Bush tried to temper his call for tough enforcement.
"You can be a nation of law and a compassionate nation at the same time," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Bush and his fellow RINOs in D.C. certainly seem like eager grave diggers...
The conservative movement is not so much dead, but looking for an electable leader to inject a loud voice into policy debates.
George Allen anyone?
Make as many as possible want to deport themselves by cutting off tehir subsidies and benefits. As someone said, tax money going to Mexico (heavily.) Crack down on the employers of illegals (I'm not just talking heavy fines, but also jail time.)
Build the wall and the smart fence and build up the Border Patrol. (Congress authorized 2,000 new Broder Patrol agents per year for 5 years, but the Bush Administration refuses to fund more than about 200, barely enough to cover losses from attrition. Demand full funding of the Border Patrol.)
Deport the rest on school buses (employing the bus drivers for part of the summer out-of-school season) and hold them pending deportation at closed-up military bases.
Include in the "guest worker provision" an electronic I.D. card that permits/requires employers and INS agents to verify immediately -- like a credit card check -- that the card is valid and the person here legally. Include fingerprint registration to resolve issues of lost/stolen I.D.'s, etc.
Require deportation for any "guest worker" who doesn't actually work for more than 4 consecutive weeks or more than 10 weeks out of the year. Limit by statute eligibilty for public assistance. And, best of all, requiring this form of electronic registration with the feds and linking it to tax payments made for the guest worker I.D. will go a long way to eliminating the underground cash economy for illegals, and increase tax receipts.
He always said he opposed a path to citizenship for illegals in country. Now he apparently comes out in favor of a path for most of them if not all. I used to think no matter if I agreed or disagreed with Bush he always said exactly what he meant. On immigration, it appears, he cannot be trusted to tell the truth.
The one problem with what you're saying is we already have a guest worker program in H1-b by which to judge any new ones. They too can be tracked and deported with violations but as expected they're not. It's estimated there's over a million visa overstayers and it's unlikely they're going anywhere.
Now they want to expand it to include at least 12 million more? I really think there should be no debate in Congress about what to do with illegals here until we get the borders under control. Until that happens it's all just going to get worse and worse.
I'm not fighting a guestworker program. However if it includes people who are illegally in the country then it is just another word for amnesty.
Sorry, I'm not buying what you're selling.
susie
Our Cant Do President! Why dont you completely shut down for the next two years like youve done the last two.? You know fold your hand and go home a failure like your father.
Of course, massive deportation is possible. In fact, it is essential due to the large number of invaders. So if we are invaded by hordes we wave the white flag? Crazy or treasonous?
A great many of them don't receive benefits or subsidies. Why would they "self deport"?
Crack down on the employers of illegals (I'm not just talking heavy fines, but also jail time.)
As with your prior suggestion, that would require legislative changes to current law, both in substance and in enforcement mechanisms. Where are the votes for that in the Senate?
Deport the rest on school buses (employing the bus drivers for part of the summer out-of-school season) and hold them pending deportation at closed-up military bases.
Uh, so who is going to pay to house/feed/clothe these millions of people who now are going nothing at all productive, while they wait the 5-7 years (optimisticall) for the courts to process 10 million aliens?
He's right - it isn't realistic. But neither is enacting immigration reform without real border security.
It's taken him a while to be honest and upfront about what he really wants but it's all out in the open now, finally. I only hope the House holds firm and says no thanks.
I wish to heck the Pres could speak openly of this and other issues. His partners in Congress, and his Cabinet officers should be out front on all these issues, say what the cost for this and that will be. At least put some facts out for public discussion instead of letting people make up their own facts from thin air.
I'll give you two guesses who killed it.
(hint: Look up)
Bush and McCain= Burke and Hare
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