Thread: Opinion: Bush must take lead on immigration

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Our Opinion: Bush must take lead on immigration
Tucson Citizen
April 26, 2005

The truism that nature abhors a vacuum is a law of science and a law of politics.

It helps explain the flurry of immigration- and border-related matters that are inundating the public psyche. But where will it all go? Not far, if President Bush doesn't push specific and substantive immigration reform ideas.

He has discussed the need for immigration reform, but in the absence of specifics and his leadership, other actors are filling the vacuum. Consider:

The Minuteman Project has stationed volunteers along the Cochise County portion of the Arizona-Mexico border since April 1. Organizers claim their actions have reduced illegal border crossings.

That ignores a couple of key points. Mexican officials increased patrols south of the border in the same area. And the decrease in the number of illegal immigrants in Cochise County is being more than offset by an increase in the deadly desert west of Tucson.

Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., proposes that private citizens, such as the Minutemen, be deputized, giving them official border-watcher status. That wouldn't help. The addition of authorized but untrained and unsupervised civilians - some of them armed - to the volatile border mix would worsen an already bad situation.

Merchants in U.S. border towns say their business is suffering because Mexicans, fearful of the Minutemen, are hesitant to legally enter the United States.

And pro-immigrant activists plan to block the border between Douglas and Agua Prieta Sunday to show how the economies of U.S. and Mexican border towns are intertwined.

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas decided not to prosecute a man who held seven Mexicans at gunpoint at an Interstate 8 rest stop. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio called the man's actions dangerous and illegal. Lack of prosecution could well embolden others to follow suit.

Members of Congress have introduced various permutations of immigration reform legislation, with most aimed at launching a guest worker program.

Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas propose a guest worker program without amnesty for workers already here illegally. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., would allow illegal immigrants to pay fines, remain in the United States and earn permanent residency.

Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., and others propose a guest worker program that would require those already here to return to their home nations to apply for legal worker status. Democrats have a plan that would lead to amnesty for workers here.

The president must take the lead. He has outlined the broad strokes of a guest worker plan but not proposed specifics.

Bush should step forward, propose legislation, submit it to Congress and campaign hard for it. This leadership vacuum is becoming untenable - and dangerous.

Tomorrow: Mexico's role

The president must take the lead. He has outlined the broad strokes of a guest worker plan but not proposed specifics.

Who is leading? Bush or Foxie?? I still can't understand why Bush tolerates Foxie and his line of bologna. Why are we expected to help solve Mexico's problems? Why don't they solve their own? Foxie keeps running his big mouth off and we keep paying. This picture is wrong.
I can't wait until tomorrow to see what Mexico can "do." They are very good at doing nothing except asking for more.
We don't need any more poor, uneducated people. We have enough already.

OPINION: WE DO NOT NEED IMMIGRATION REFORM. WE NEED IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM ON IMMIGRATION OF ALL TYPES UNTIL WE DETRMINE WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE IN THE US AND WHO IS BEHIND IT.

"Immigration Reform" is a disguise to a complete over-run.

We need no more immigration until this can all be sorted out.

NONE. NOT ONE MORE LEGAL OR ILLEGAL UNTIL A FULL DISCLOSURE OF WHAT WAS AFOOT IS PROVIDED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

Now, Dole is threatening the Democrats informing them that "they will suffer" becaue of their attempt to change the rules and keep some of these judges from being appointed.

QUESTION: ARE THESE JUDGES GLOBALISTS?

Yes, these "reform" policies of giving illegals a fine and amnesty are a joke. We should not accept that. We need to enforce the laws. Pres. Bush has a following that is very anti-illegal immigrant. He is turning people, who may agree with him in every other way, against him by his faliure to act on this issue.