http://www.prnewswire.com

Bush Makes Desperate Attempt to Save Unpopular Plan Granting Amnesty to Illegal Aliens


WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 particular to the Hunter-Goode
immigration reform bill introduced last week.
Under the Bush proposal, the estimated 11 million illegal aliens currently
in the U.S. would be reclassified as "temporary workers," and be allowed to
remain here for up to six years. In addition, the president and top members
of his administration have repeatedly called for the unlimited admission of
additional foreign workers in an effort to "match willing workers in other
countries with willing employers in this country," at whatever wages the
employer wishes to pay.
"This administration has a sustained track record of ignoring reality when
it conflicts with what the corporate interests want it to do," charged Dan
Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
"The president's plan is nothing more than a massive illegal alien amnesty on
a six year time delay, while his temporary worker program -- which will be
anything but temporary -- is the death knell for America's middle class."
Bowing to massive public pressure, the Bush administration is now talking
about coupling amnesty and guest workers with a weak enforcement plan. The
president and top administration officials have pledged enforcement at the
border, the interior of the country and at the work site. "Don't read their
lips, watch what they do," Stein responded. "The Department of Labor is
actively working with the Mexican government to protect illegal alien workers
in this country. Peter Accolla, a DOL spokesman told the Associated Press
earlier this month, 'It's not the policy of the DOL to penalize and expose
workers' irrespective of their legal status in this country.
"Moreover, the administration's idea of workplace enforcement is based on
voluntary self-enforcement by employers," Stein continued. "A recent
Department of Homeland Security fact sheet states, 'DHS will implement an
employer self-compliance program that will link government and business in a
united effort to reduce the employment of unauthorized aliens in specific
industries.' Translation: The administration is placing the foxes in charge
of the henhouse.
"Unless the president throws his support behind genuine immigration
enforcement, such as H.R. 4313, Duncan Hunter and Virgil Goode's TRUE
Enforcement Act, there is no reason to believe he is leveling with the
American public," said Stein. "The White House may have read some polls and
reworked the president's rhetoric, but the bottom line is that Mr. Bush is
touting a plan that will be full of rewards for illegal aliens and employers,
and full of empty promises for the American public."
FAIR said the following three items should be administration priorities:

1. Require employers to verify work eligibility and penalize non-
compliance
2. Integrate state-federal immigration law enforcement
3. Cut overall levels of immigration

"Unless the American people see real, tangible immigration law enforcement
in the interior, no one will believe there is a serious commitment from this
president," said Stein.