Thread: Bush hails Senate immigration deal

Bush hails Senate immigration deal

By Edward Luce in Washington
May 17, 2007

George W. Bush on Wednesday hailed as "historic" a bipartisan Senate compromise that offers the best hope in years of reforming America's broken immigration system.

The deal, which was hammered out over the last month by 10 senators including Ted Kennedy, the Democrat from Massachusetts and Lindsey Graham, the Republican from South Carolina, would provide "a pathway" to US citizenship for the 12m "undocumented workers" already in the United States.

It would also set up a new temporary guest worker programme for unskilled immigrants and a merit-based system for skilled immigrants to attain a green card. The bill would further tighten border security, particularly along the US's 2,000-mile frontier with Mexico, and toughens penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens.

"I have been around long enough to know that opportunities like this don't come around very often," said Mr Kennedy. "Senators from both parties are now determined to solve this crisis, secure our borders and bring millions out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America."

Mr Bush, who has identified comprehensive immigration reform as one of his key priorities in the 20 months he has left in office, said it would create a system that was "secure, productive, orderly and fair". The US president said he hoped it would be enacted by Congress before the end of the year.

However, Arlen Specter, one of the Republicans who helped broker the compromise, conceded it was likely to attract criticisms from the left, which would see it as unnecessarily draconian, and the right, which is already alleging that it will provide an "amnesty" to the 12m illegal immigrants. "Without this [compromise] there will be anarchy," said Mr Specter. "This is the best that can be done."

Last year the Republicans lost a significant share of the Hispanic vote in mid-term congressional elections after they pushed through a purely enforcement-based immigration reform that included building a 700-mile fence on the southern border.

Among the Republican presidential candidates, both John McCain, who initially sponsored a reform bill with Mr Kennedy, and Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, have come under increasing attack from the party rank and file for associating themselves with alleged "amnesty" for illegal aliens. But the Democrats and the labour unions are also divided.

"This has reached a stage where both parties see a lot of merit in getting this issue out of the way," said Edward Alden, an immigration analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations. "This probably has a better-than-even chance of being passed."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18727651/

Guest what Bush I'm sorry I ever voted for you, you globalest transie.

provide an "amnesty" to the 12m illegal immigrants. "Without this [compromise] there will be anarchy," said Mr Specter.

By not enforcing our present immigration laws, you and your cohorts in washington have created anarchy to push your new world order and grant amnesty for all that broke our immigration laws that you refused to uphold.

I'm beginning to think were under control of the corrupt mexican government.

Bush has destroyed this country as well as his own Republican Party.

Your country is ASHAMED of you and AFRAID of you.

What could be worse for a man to have to admit to himself?

After watching the press conference where the Senators announced their deal, I'm convinced that it's a very fragile agreement. I noticed that none of them were smiling and actually, they all looked very nervous. It also showed when Senator Kyl mentioned that the Ag-jobs needed some more work & Senator Feinstein immediately jumped in, saying that it WAS in the bill.

I think if we really hammer our representatives, we can bring this whole deal crashing down.