Thread: Massive border bill said unlikely

http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208 ... 91,00.html


Massive border bill said unlikely

Leaders: Bush says he'll clarify position

By Staff and wire reports

WASHINGTON - President Bush conceded he has been unclear about his immigration reform proposals and may avoid pushing an immigration overhaul in a single bill, Republican leaders said after a meeting with the president.

White House allies have been fashioning comprehensive legislation to grant "guest worker' status in the United States to Mexicans and other immigrants and to make other changes in immigration law.

But House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said at his weekly meeting Wednesday with reporters that he and Bush, with whom DeLay met Wednesday, now are unsure whether to deal with immigration in a massive bill.

"A big bill confuses things,' said DeLay, R-Texas.

DeLay said Bush admitted "he hasn't done a good job being clear about where he is coming from.

"It became clear to him that he has to articulate his position more clearly, and that's what he intends to do,' DeLay said.

The president's concession came during a meeting with House and Senate Republican leaders at the White House, during which they discussed Congress' summer agenda.

As Texas governor and candidate for president, Bush urged compassion for Spanish-speaking immigrants who enter the country illegally to seek jobs to support their families. He has also fostered ties with the Mexican government.

But after promising to pass immigration reform, he has made little progress.

He has not substantively discussed the issue publicly since March, and in a Rose Garden news conference May 31, he left immigration and border security off his list of priorities for Congress.

Andy Ramirez, organizer of Border Watch, a citizens' volunteer group that plans to patrol the San Diego-Tijuana border Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day, said "Bush never had any intention of passing a real immigration reform measure.

"The problem with this is that the president is so hell bent on giving the Mexican government everything they want, which is contrary to the American people,' Ramirez said. "If he's going to reform anything, it needs to be his own philosophy and the Mexican government.'

White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said Wednesday that immigration and border security remain urgent objectives for Bush.

"The president recognizes that we need to be placing as much emphasis on communicating our ongoing efforts to strengthen border security as we are immigration reform,' she said.

In May, the president signed a spending bill for funding of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that included reforms making it virtually impossible for people unable to prove legal U.S. residency to receive driver's licenses.

DeLay said he and the president agree that a guest worker program, a concept that has divided Republican lawmakers, should not give amnesty to illegal immigrants or give credit to people who have broken the law.

The president's guest worker plan would allow three-year, renewable visas to workers and incentives for them to return to their home countries after six years.

Guest workers could apply for legal residence without getting priority over others seeking citizenship.

In contrast, an immigration reform bill introduced last month by heavyweight Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., would create a guest worker program that allows illegal workers to earn citizenship.

An updated immigration reform bill from Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is working with Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., is expected to be unveiled early next month.

Only slivers of the Cornyn bill have been released: It would authorize 10,000 new Border Patrol agents and 1,000 new immigration inspectors during the next five years and commit an additional $500 million between 2006 and 2010 for equipment.

In December, Bush signed a bill providing for the 10,000 border agents. But his proposed 2006 budget unveiled in February funds only 210.

â€â€

As Texas governor and candidate for president, Bush urged compassion for Spanish-speaking immigrants who enter the country illegally to seek jobs to support their families. He has also fostered ties with the Mexican government.

And he has been sucking up to the open borders lobby ever since.

Andy Ramirez, organizer of Border Watch, a citizens' volunteer group that plans to patrol the San Diego-Tijuana border Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day, said "Bush never had any intention of passing a real immigration reform measure.

"The problem with this is that the president is so hell bent on giving the Mexican government everything they want, which is contrary to the American people,' Ramirez said. "If he's going to reform anything, it needs to be his own philosophy and the Mexican government.'

You tell 'em Mr. Ramirez. I guess Mr. Ramirez is a racist against his own people since he is for border control. Sort of takes the wind out of the sails of the open borders pro Aztlan types.

Quote:

The president's guest worker plan would allow three-year, renewable visas to workers and incentives for them to return to their home countries after six years.

Do any of you really believe they will return to their home countries after six years! Is he insane!

President Bush conceded he has been unclear about his immigration reform proposals and may avoid pushing an immigration overhaul in a single bill, Republican leaders said after a meeting with the president.

I think his agenda is crystal clear. Amnesty, amnesty, amnesty, and open borders! Except he doesn't want the America people to know.

Give them an incentive????