Thread: Immigration foes lobby against Bush guest-worker plan

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... ess08.html

Immigration foes lobby against Bush guest-worker plan

Jennifer A. Dlouhy
Hearst Newspapers
Feb. 8, 2006 03:07 PM


WASHINGTON - Foes of illegal immigration - including members of the volunteer border patrol group the Minuteman Project - rallied at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and urged Congress to reject President Bush's proposal to allow guest workers into the country.

"We must send a message to Washington, D.C. and every person in every building here that we will not stand for . . . a fraud amnesty bill," said Steve Eichler, director of the Minuteman Project.

The Minuteman Project last year organized thousands of volunteers to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border in a bid to block people from illegally crossing into America. Its members are now lobbying Congress to crack down on illegal immigration through new legislation.

The House has already passed a bill intended to make it more difficult to sneak into the United States by putting more inspectors at the nation's ports of entry and forcing the government to detain illegal aliens captured near the border until they can be returned to their home countries.

The Senate is expected to debate its own version of the legislation next month, with a key focus being whether to soften the get-tough House bill by adding Bush's proposal to give more foreigners a shot at temporary, legal work in the United States.

Bush has called for the program to allow foreigners - including immigrants already here illegally - to work temporarily in jobs that U.S. employers have trouble filling with Americans.

Wednesday, critics decried Bush's guest-worker plan as nothing but an "amnesty" that would reward illegal immigrants.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., one of two lawmakers who briefly joined the rally against illegal immigration, said that allowing more foreign workers into the country would depress wages overall.

"We are being told there are jobs American workers won't do," he told the crowd. "Americans will do any job that needs to be done as long as there is a fair and decent wage."

Rohrabacher also defended the Minutemen, who have been criticized as racist vigilantes trying to keep Hispanics out of the United States.

"There is nothing wrong with somebody taking care of their family," he said. "We have to watch out for each other (and) ensure American citizenship means something."

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who heads the House Immigration Reform Caucus, which wants to crack down on illegal immigration, complained that the nation's borders are "porous."

"We are, in fact, being invaded," Tancredo said. "I'm asking the president to commit the military to this border."

Supporters of a guest-worker program, including Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, say that simply beefing up the borders is not enough to curb the flow of illegal immigrants.

McCain notes that tough border enforcement still would do nothing to solve the problem of an estimated 10 million-12 million foreigners already living in the United States illegally.

Speaking at the rally Wednesday, Jim Gilchrest, who founded the Minuteman Project, said that lawmakers who embrace Bush's guest-worker plan will face repercussions on election day.

"If we cannot move you with our rhetoric," Gilchrest said, "we will move you with our votes out of office."

The rally on the Capitol lawn drew several dozen opponents of illegal immigration, including Minutemen from California and Pennsylvania and representatives from other groups, such as Mothers Against Illegal Aliens. They hoisted signs proclaiming "Secure the Borders. Stop the Invasion" and "No Amnesty for Illegals."

Immigration advocates protested nearby, wielding signs of their own - one placard said, "Change your name. You're still the KKK" - and chanting "They're our brothers. They're our sisters. Immigrants are welcome here."

At the Wednesday rally, two self-proclaimed Nazis showed up in brown, swastika-adorned uniforms, passing out fliers blaming Jewish legislative leaders for liberal immigration policies and yelling, "Deport all non-whites - legal or illegal."

Gilchrest said the Nazis didn't represent his group.

"It's a free country, and they have a right to assemble," he said. "But I don't want them at my party."

Tancredo said that opponents of illegal immigration are not motivated by racism.

"If there's anybody here . . . because you're racists or Nazis or other garbage, I'll tell you, you're working with the wrong group," he said. "This is not about race. This is not about ethnicity. This is simply about our country and trying to preserve it."

Separately, other get-tough advocates lobbied Congress.

Barbara Coe, president of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform, was set to meet with aides for 14 senators this week to argue against Bush's guest-worker initiative.

A group of sheriffs from border towns in Texas also made the rounds, talking to lawmakers.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, who met with the border sheriffs, said it was valuable to hear first hand from "local law enforcement who are fighting, sometimes without help, to defend our southern border."

"There is a war on our southern border and our sheriffs are out manned and out gunned," Gohmert said.

"Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, who met with the border sheriffs, said it was valuable to hear first hand from "local law enforcement who are fighting, sometimes without help, to defend our southern border."

"There is a war on our southern border and our sheriffs are out manned and out gunned," Gohmert said.

Well, he's new to the party. Good.

McCain is a joke. If the GOP gets him to run in 2008 Presidential race, he will lose.

I don't like him, I would not vote for him...in fact why isn't there more Arizona citizens speaking out against him and his amnesty programs?

Immigration foes lobby against Bush guest-worker plan

I'm tired of being labeled by the media as "anti-immigrant". I think most of us here are anti-illegal and not anti-immigrant. Most reports don't even differentiate between legal immigration and illegal. Maybe we could find an email address to the reporter who wrote the story and enlighten them.

After reading the story more thuroughly, I see it does call it illegal immigration, but the headline is still misleading. Most stories do brand us as anti-immigration though.

Yes, Gohmert is new...he was just elected from my district last election. I get really thoughtful responses from him when I write to him. He is a member of the Immigration Reform Caucus...I think he's a GOOD ONE...so far he has been.

That's one in a row.

RR

"If we cannot move you with our rhetoric," Gilchrest said, "we will move you with our votes out of office."

You tell 'em, Jim!

The words should not be illegal immigration. That helps to muddy the waters. Always say ILLEGAL ALIENS. that makes a lot of difference then immigrate. The side that wants all the ILLEGAL ALIENS to be here want it to SEEM that we are against immigrates. Until it is made prefectly clear what we are against is ILLEGAL ALIENS they are getting their way.
Illegal immigrate, undocumated, and all the other ways they say it is what you would call PC.
Not the exact truth, but close enough to muddy the waters, and shut some up about it. Or make people who are against ILLEGAL ALIENS have to defend themselves over nothing if you get what I mean.
IT IS TIME TO USE THE CORRECT WORDS FOR WHAT WE ARE AGAINST and not fall into their PC!

Hey gang,

This added to the homepage with a note

ALIPAC Note: This article fails to mention that the two "nazis" that showed up were protesting against the Minutemen because of the "blacks, asians, and Hispanics" participating with the Minuteman rally

http://www.alipac.us/article1038.html

I'll tell you the whole story when Im back home from DC.

Security had to ask me to return to the Minuteman rally because I was accosting the "Nazis" after they moved them far away from our group.

I was giving them an earful in a loud voice because the media swarmed them.

I was yelling "America defeated the Nazis" and "We settled this discussion 60 years ago!" and "You do not represent the public or the Minutemen" and "My grandfather settled this debate in the Ardens!"

I told the media that since the left and right fringe groups are upset with us, it shows we clearly have a mainstream movement.

W

W

Originally Posted by UBGold

The words should not be illegal immigration. That helps to muddy the waters. Always say ILLEGAL ALIENS. that makes a lot of difference then immigrate. The side that wants all the ILLEGAL ALIENS to be here want it to SEEM that we are against immigrates. Until it is made prefectly clear what we are against is ILLEGAL ALIENS they are getting their way.
Illegal immigrate, undocumated, and all the other ways they say it is what you would call PC.
Not the exact truth, but close enough to muddy the waters, and shut some up about it. Or make people who are against ILLEGAL ALIENS have to defend themselves over nothing if you get what I mean.
IT IS TIME TO USE THE CORRECT WORDS FOR WHAT WE ARE AGAINST and not fall into their PC!

At some point would it be proper to call all of the Illegal Immigrants "occupiers"? As we have some groups that have attempted to change the language of schools to Spanish and towns also from what I have read.