Will the Pres. be a speaker at the anti America-illegal rally this afternoon, standing next to reconquista Teddy?

President urges students to join national debate
Mostly Hispanic crowd at Miami Dade College told to make voices heard about immigration law
From Beacon Journal wire services
MIAMI - President Bush used a speech to mostly Hispanic graduates of Miami Dade College on Saturday to press for an overhaul of immigration law, calling for changes that ``resolve the status of those who are already here without amnesty, and without animosity.''

Bush urged the 1,500 students, many of whom were born in other countries, to join the national debate on immigration policy, saying they ``see every day the values of hard work and family and faith that immigrants bring'' and should make their voices heard.

Nearly 80 percent of graduates at the college's campus in Kendall, where Bush spoke, are Hispanic; many are Cuban-American. Bush got a standing ovation and fervent applause, even as hundreds of protesters waved signs along the perimeter of the suburban campus opposing the war and calling for the president's impeachment.

Bush's younger brother, former Gov. Jeb Bush, came to hear him speak, along with Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and several Cuban-American members of the state's congressional delegation.

Bush predicted that the ``day is nearing'' when ``the light of liberty will shine'' again in Cuba.

``In Havana and other Cuban cities, there are people just like you who are attending school, and dreaming of a better life. Unfortunately, those dreams are stifled by a cruel dictatorship that denies all freedom in the name of a dark and discredited ideology,'' the president said to loud cheers. ``The reign of every tyrant comes to an end.''

Fidel Castro temporarily handed power to his brother eight months ago because of illness. The 80-year-old revolutionary had ruled the communist island nation for 47 years.

With Castro's condition and exact ailment a state secret, his future role has been the source of much speculation. Cuban officials have given increasingly optimistic reports about his health, and there is a growing expectation that he could soon make his first public appearance since falling ill.

Earlier in the day, Bush discussed immigration in his weekly radio address, calling on Congress to reach agreement on the ``critical challenge'' of improving immigration laws. Administration officials estimate that 12 million illegal immigrants are in the United States, and that the number has been growing by an average of 400,000 a year.

Bush is trying to bring both parties together on immigration legislation, even as he is fighting with Democrats over Iraq. He wants to create a temporary worker program and a way for some illegal immigrants already here to legalize their status, while stepping up border patrol.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., applauded the renewed attention from Bush.

``Only a bipartisan bill will become law, and we are prepared to work with the president and our Republican colleagues to get the job done and get it done right,'' said Kennedy, a leader for his party on the issue.

Bush said the talks in Washington are beginning to bear fruit.

The Senate passed a plan last May that tracked closely with Bush's wishes.

However, the proposal died in the House, where tough new border security measures were the priority. A get-tough bill authorizing 700 additional miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border was Congress' only accomplishment on immigration.

Most national polls show people in the United States are overwhelmingly supportive of an immigration overhaul that would allow those already in the country illegally to stay, work and earn their way to legal status.

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