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Republicans in Congress who are up for reelection in 2006 are feeling the heat from their GOP base to crack down on illegal migration. Many of them want President Bush to assist them by beefing up border security. Try as he might, that's not his first choice. Up to now, border security has been a lesser immigration priority for a president who once said that those who enter the US illegally are simply trying to "provide for their families" and "put food on the table" - as if opening the border to any job seeker were merely a humanitarian matter....

President Bush today will call for a crackdown on illegal immigration, a move aimed at further rallying conservatives who recently cheered Mr. Bush's tough talk on Iraq and the Supreme Court. But the president will also renew his call for a program to allow Mexicans who have already entered the U.S. illegally to remain here for up to six years. That initiative has long angered conservatives who equate it with amnesty.

President Bush spoke this afternoon in Arizona, trying, once again, to sell the idea of a massive illegal alien amnesty and the admission of millions of additional foreign “guest” workers as “immigration reform.” While the president’s address includes tougher-than-usual talk on border security and immigration enforcement, the administration’s continuing actions over the past several months reveal he has no intention of carrying through on his promises to the American public. Immigration reform organizations are calling on the White House to follow the lead of members of Congress who have shown they are serious about getting immigration laws enforced, pointing in...

President Discusses Border Security and Immigration Reform in Arizona Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Tucson, Arizona 2:40 P.M. MST THE PRESIDENT: [SNIP the introductory part of the speech. Click the link above to read the introductions if desired.] I have a solemn duty, and so do the members of the United States Congress, to protect our nation, our Constitution, and our laws. Our border and immigration security officers devote themselves to those same missions every single day. America has always been a compassionate nation that values the newcomer and takes great pride in our immigrant heritage; yet we're also a nation...

WASHINGTON, Nov 28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on President Bush's speech this afternoon in Arizona on immigration: "What we need is not another photo-op, but real leadership. Democrats have worked hard, over the opposition of Republicans, to provide additional resources to the vital task of keeping America safe. Real border security, however, cannot be accomplished in isolation; it must be accompanied by bipartisan and comprehensive immigration reform. "As we have learned from the President's previous forays to Jackson Square and the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, photo- ops cannot substitute for action...

President Bush will make stops in Arizona and Texas this week to address an issue that has divided some members of his own Republican Party -- illegal immigration. After spending the holiday weekend with family at his Crawford ranch, the president will visit Tucson, Arizona, on Monday, and El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday. A senior administration official said that the president, in a speech on immigration, will focus on three areas: border security, enforcement and a temporary worker program. The official said the president will talk about "additional resources and the use of technology to secure the border," and will...

The Bush administration, which for 5 years now has done absolutely nothing to curb the flow of illegal aliens into this country, has decided it's time to do something about it. For quite some time now their solution has been to do nothing....except propose an amnesty disguised as a guest worker program. Nobody wants to talk about deporting those that break the laws of the United States and sneak into this country. To send them back might cost Republicans the Hispanic vote, and we can't have that. But the political pressure is on. People are tired of the United States...

President Bush will speak in Tucson, Arizona today and address some of the most pressing issues facing America, namely, border security and illegal immigration. With today’s speech, the president has the opportunity to build on the momentum generated among conservatives from his recent Supreme Court appointment and his strong stand against the Democrats regarding pre-war intelligence on Iraq. What conservatives are looking for is a policy that carries forward the recent string of initiatives coming from the House and Senate which are now focusing more on the vital area of border security and less on so-called “guest worker” programs. Hopefully,...

WACO, Texas - President Bush is trying to build support for a comprehensive immigration strategy — and mollify conservatives wary of his guest worker plan for foreigners — even though Congress has shelved the issue for now. Republican congressional leaders have postponed work on immigration proposals until early next year, partly because lawmakers are divided over the scope of such changes and whether foreigners illegally working in the United States should be allowed to stay. The president was leaving his Crawford, Texas, ranch after spending nearly a week there for Thanksgiving, to pitch his plan in Tucson, Ariz., on Monday,...

President Bush is trying to build support for a comprehensive immigration strategy even though Congress has shelved the issue for now. Republican congressional leaders postponed work on immigration proposals until early next year, partly because lawmakers are divided over the scope of such changes and whether foreigners illegally working in the United States should be allowed to stay. Trying to keep the heat on lawmakers, the president was scheduled to leave his Crawford, Texas, ranch after spending nearly a week there for Thanksgiving, to pitch his plan in Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, and El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday. Bush's plan...

They say better late than never but......

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist presented a blueprint for changes in immigration law Tuesday and said the Senate will begin work on the divisive issue in January as soon as it returns from winter break. ADVERTISEMENT The Republican strategy is to build comprehensive legislation, Frist said, starting with proposals to strengthen border security and enforce existing immigration laws — issues where there already is wide agreement. Then the Senate will take up trickier elements of the issue, including a guest-worker program and ways to deal with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, the Tennessee...

President Bush sought support Tuesday for his guest worker plan for foreigners, hoping to win over skeptical conservatives with a pledge to clamp down on illegal immigration — one of a growing number of issues causing friction between the White House and fellow Republicans. "As we improve and expand our efforts to secure our borders, we must also recognize that that enforcement cannot work unless it is part of a larger comprehensive immigration reform program," Bush said. "If an employer has a job that no American is willing to take, we need to find a way to fill that demand...

WASHINGTON -- White House proposals for overhauling immigration laws are expected to be unveiled Tuesday when two Cabinet secretaries appear before a committee considering legislation to reform the system. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao are scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. They will discuss proposals to bolster border security and create a guest-worker program. Despite a legislative agenda dominated by hurricane relief and the Iraq war, the White House said immigration reform remains a priority for President Bush. "We need to continue to take steps to strengthen our border and improve the interior...

WASHINGTON — President Bush's ambitious plan to give millions of undocumented immigrants a shot at legal temporary work in the United States is dead in Congress. Two hurricanes, two Supreme Court nominees, Republican in-fighting and the president's own slump in the polls have put Bush's "guest worker" initiative on the shelf for this year. Instead of rallying behind the Bush temporary worker proposal, conservative Republicans are about to head in the opposite direction with legislation to crack down on undocumented immigrants and companies that employ them. "Political momentum has changed in our favor," said Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who leads...

WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers urged President Bush on Friday to abandon his push for a guest-worker program until the strict enforcement of immigration laws is achieved along the U.S.-Mexico border. The lawmakers drew a line in the political sand as the House and Senate prepare to debate sweeping immigration reform proposals prompted by the president's plea to revamp current laws with border enforcement and a temporary work program. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, said increased enforcement of immigration laws at the border is essential before Congress considers a guest-worker program. "We have lost control of our borders and endangered the...

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005 9:57 a.m. EDT Rove Behind Immigration Details Political strategist Karl Rove has become the White House’s point man in pressing Congress to back a program that would temporarily legalize the status of millions of illegal workers. Concerned that anti-immigrant sentiment within the GOP was undermining the administration’s efforts to appeal to Latino voters, Rove and other Bush allies organized White House sessions with lawmakers to push for Bush’s plan, the Los Angeles Times reports. "There is a level of detail that was not there before that is very important,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), describing the...

Sept. 20, 2005, 10:09PM Bush to press lawmakers for guest-worker program Plan would not require illegal immigrants to leave while they await legal statusBy SAMANTHA LEVINECopyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - A Bush administration reform plan reportedly would allow illegal immigrants to remain in the United States using guest worker visas for up to six years. The White House approach departs from a proposal by Sen. John Cornyn to require illegal workers to leave the country before they could achieve legal status as guest workers.Highlights of the administration plan were reported in the Arizona Daily Star and The...

The White House has drawn up a comprehensive proposal to reform US immigration laws that would allow illegal immigrants already in the country to remain as legal guest workers, but would force them to leave after six years and re-apply to return. “They're further along than I thought,” said Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican who has been pushing for immigration reform. The proposal was outlined to a small group of House Republicans this week in a meeting convened by Karl Rove, White House deputy chief of staff. Mr Bush told Republican lawmakers at a private meeting in July that he...

Those already here could stay for 3 years, then renew visas The White House is preparing to unveil an immigration-reform plan that would allow millions of undocumented residents to remain in the United States as guest workers, two Arizona congressmen said. Under a plan presented to a handful of Republican lawmakers by top presidential adviser Karl Rove, undocumented residents already here could apply for a three-year guest-worker visa. As explained to the congressmen, the plan gives workers the opportunity to renew that visa for another three years before requiring them to leave the country. They could then apply again to...