Thread: 124 Minutes on the Border

124 Minutes on the Border; Immigration fuels agenda
By TRICIA CORTEZ, LAREDO MORNING TIMES
06/07/2006
Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendlyUnder a clear blue Laredo sky, President George W. Bush emerged from Air Force One on Tuesday afternoon and was greeted by throngs of spectators that lined Loop 20 and Del Mar as he made his way to the Border Patrol headquarters.Security forces dressed in camouflage were deployed on top of Laredo International Airport and at strategic vantage points as Bush stepped off the plane and was welcomed by Gov. Rick Perry, Mayor Betty Flores and several handpicked Laredoans.

Dressed casually in loose dark pants and brown walking shoes, the president soon found his light grey button-up shirt drenched with sweat from the 102-degree heat.

After a few minutes of pleasantries, the waiting motorcade consisting of roughly 20 SUVs and vans whisked Bush and his entourage toward the Border Patrol's Laredo Sector headquarters.

Bush is the first president in 30 years to visit Laredo. He was here to promote his initiatives on border security and immigration reform.

"It's good to be back in Laredo," Bush said during a news conference at the headquarters. "Rick (Perry) and I were talking about the first time I came here ... (for) the Washington's Day parade, and I remember it fondly."

Among the thousands of spectators who lined the route, a few carried signs, some of which read "Bushy, save $, put piranhas in the river," "Please stop the war," and "W, we love ya," among others.



Detours
Bush made two unexpected stops as he was returning to the airport, one of which was to shake hands and chat with nuns and students outside Mary Help of Christians School.
Another was a 40-minute stop at the Cotulla Style Pit Bar-B-Que restaurant, where he had a snack with a dozen Customs and Border Patrol agents and officials.

"Let's order a couple of plates of nachos, on me," Bush told the group.

When the entourage first walked into the restaurant, Bush and Perry greeted a table of surprised diners who stood up to hug the president. Bush spoke in English and Spanish to the thrilled patrons.



Border Patrol HQ
Earlier, at the Border Patrol Laredo Sector headquarters, Bush was given a tour of the control room by Border Patrol agents Vittorio "Vito" Ramirez and Reynaldo Garza, who showed him rows of television screens that monitor sections of the Rio Grande.
He then went outside where roughly two dozen members of the traveling and local media pressed him on how he plans to bridge the deep divide in Congress and the nation over the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants who live in the United States.

Perry, dressed in Wrangler jeans and boots, stood next to Bush. Behind them were Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, newly sworn-in Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ralph Basham and U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar.

Bush took questions on Iran and Somalia, but devoted most of his time to outlining his plans for increasing security along the U.S.-Mexico border and dealing with the growing number of illegal immigrants.

"I'm going to keep calling on Congress to think about a comprehensive plan," Bush said, without setting a deadline.

"There are people working hard on behalf of this country, and we owe them a comprehensive piece of legislation so they can do their job," he said. "It's time for folks to set aside politics and get the job done."

In an answer to another question, Bush sought to focus on points where there is consensus on immigration reform.

"One, we've got to enforce the border. Two, that people need to be treated with respect," Bush said.

"Three, that there needs to be assimilation. Four, that we need to hold employers who break the law to account. Five, there needs to be some way to deal with people who are here to work on a temporary basis. And six, ultimately, we're going to have to do something about people who've been here for a long period of time."



Quotas and Mexico
While some border business leaders, such as International Bank President Dennis Nixon, believe the federal government should increase quotas for immigrants, especially from Mexico, to fill jobs in the United States, Bush said that the issue is best left to Congress.
"What I want is people who have been here for a while to be able to have the choice - if they pay a fine, if they learn the English language, if they've proven they worked - to be able to get in the ... potential citizenship line, but at the back of it," Bush said.

"See, they don't get to be in the front. The people who have been here legally are in the front of the line," he told reporters.

Those immigrants would also have to pass a criminal background check, pay back taxes and continue to work.

Illegal immigrants who are recent arrivals should not be deported, Bush said.

They should be given a temporary work card, which could last three to six years, and then return to their country of origin, he said.



Long-term solution
"The people that say that the long-term solution to immigration is for people to be able to find work in Mexico, they're right," Bush said. "That's why I've been a strong supporter of NAFTA."
Most Americans aren't aware that the border and "this part of the world used to be really poor. Up and down the Rio Grande Valley there was a lot of impoverished people," he said.

"Laredo is a booming town ... it's thriving, it has really changed a lot," he continued. "One of the main reasons why is because of trade with Mexico. On the other side of the border, the (Mexican) border states are prosperous states."
The main problem in Mexico, he said, is that new work opportunities along the border do not extend to the south of the country, driving more immigration northward.

Bush said he and Perry have talked to Mexican President Vicente Fox about how the United States can work with Mexico to encourage more economic development in the interior. (Ummmm, give them more of our jobs?)"President Fox, the last time I saw him, said that there are 100,000 vacant jobs in northern Mexican states. I think that's really interesting," Bush said.

"The issue is education ... to make sure that people in the interior and the south of the country have got enough education, enough skills, so they can fill those 100,000 jobs," he said.

Improving the education system, however, is Mexico's responsibility, Bush said, and he was quick to add that the United States is willing to work with Mexico on that issue.

(Tricia Cortez may be reached at (956) 728-2568 or by e-mail at tricia@lmtonline.com)


http://www.lmtonline.com/site/news.cfm? ... 9392&rfi=6


©Laredo Morning Times 2006


Anyone out there from Laredo? I heard on the news, there was graffitti all over the place.....so who's telling the truth? Bush or the news?

.so who's telling the truth? Bush or the news?

based upon past performance.. in my opinion neither is telling the entire truth.

"President Fox, the last time I saw him, said that there are 100,000 vacant jobs in northern Mexican states. I think that's really interesting," Bush said.

Which states would that be that Fox was referring to California or Arizona?
(sarcasim for those who missed it)