Thread: Reuters: Bush reassures Fox on immigration debate

CANCUN, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S.
President George W. Bush reassured Mexican President
Vicente Fox on Thursday he was committed to getting the U.S. Congress to approve broad immigration reforms, including a guest worker program.

Speaking after talks with Fox in the Mexican resort of Cancun, Bush told reporters: "I'm confident we can get a bill done." He made no prediction on the timing of such legislation, which the U.S. Senate started debating on Wednesday.

Bush also praised Fox for pledging to do more to police the U.S.-Mexican border, the crossing point for most illegal immigrants entering the United States.

"I'm committed to having a comprehensive immigration bill on my desk, and by comprehensive I mean not only border security, a bill that has border security, a bill that has security enforcement in it, but a bill that has a worker permit program in it," Bush said.

Hosting a North American summit, Fox said border security was a shared responsibility and Mexico would do its part.

Mexicans account for more than half of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

"We want a safe border. We want it for the good of our people and also for our relationship with the United States," Fox said.

Republicans are split on whether to back Bush's call for sweeping reforms to create a guest worker program and put several million illegal immigrants on the path to citizenship.

Conservatives in Bush's party, normally his allies, reject that as a form of amnesty and seek instead to erect a fence along a third of the U.S.-Mexico border and make illegal immigration a felony. The issue has brought out tens of thousands of mostly Hispanic protesters in major U.S. cities.

With his job approval ratings at a low point, immigration is a new test of Bush's political strength at a time when his second term has been beset by woes.

ONE LAST PUSH

Fox, who has failed for five years to convince Washington to let more Mexicans get jobs in the United States legally, is making one more push before leaving office in December.

Bush, Fox and new Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper toured hot, dusty ruins at the Mayan archeological site of Chichen Itza ahead of meetings.

But the leaders climbed only a few of the 91 steps of the impressive El Castillo pyramid.

It was a rare sightseeing detour for Bush, who usually keeps to a tight diplomatic schedule, and raised speculation he was trying to revive a back-slapping relationship with Fox that saw them dubbed "the two amigos" at the start of their administrations.

Despite an increase in anti-U.S. feeling in Latin America in recent years, there were few protests in the resort, which is far from major Mexican cities and too expensive for most Mexicans to stay in.

About 50 anti-globalization protesters chanted "Bush, Murderer," at a demonstration in downtown Cancun, some 10 miles from the plush hotel strip where the leaders met.

Rifle-toting federal police in riot gear scuffled briefly with 30 Mayan handicraft sellers at Chichen Itza bearing signs that said "Bush, go home" and complaining of being barred from the site.

Mexicans once had high hopes for Bush, who took office promising to make America's southern neighbor a priority but pushed the region to the back burner after the September 11 attacks.

In Cancun, Mexican marines dressed in black patrolled the beach beside topless tourists. Spring break college students are fewer this year, with many hotels still closed after last October's Hurricane Wilma.

Harper, a conservative, said this week the Cancun summit would help build better relations with Washington after friction between Bush and former Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Bush hopes to solve a dispute with Canada over softwood lumber, but Canadian officials said a deal was unlikely in Cancun. Canada ships $6 billion in softwood lumber to the United States each year.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Greg Brosnan and Lorraine Orlandi)

Bush also praised Fox for pledging to do more to police the U.S.-Mexican border, the crossing point for most illegal immigrants entering the United States.

I believe that means sending more highly trained mexican military to escort the cocaine and other drugs into the USA, I mean Bush does like the cocaine. right?

President George W. Bush reassured Mexican President
Vicente Fox on Thursday he was committed to getting the U.S. Congress to approve broad immigration reforms, including a guest worker program.

The above statement of fact sums up the whole ball of wax, boys and girls, men and boys, ladies and gents, LEGAL AMERICANS!

Traitorious president of U.S. assures his best friend and buddy that "you'll get what you're demanding - I'll see to it!"

As Judy often says, GET THIS MANICAL DICTATOR OUT OF OFFICE! .. and Fox too!

Last I checked, I don't remember a single vote being casted for Vicente Fox to be ruler of this country, yet this a-hole who's the president of the most powerful nation on earth feels he has to bow down to this cretin. If Bush had the mod-edit he could crush this guy like a bug if he wanted to. It's not like it would be hard. Our military could cease control of Mexico in a matter of days, hours even. Something is not right. If Bush has the mod-edit to go after Saddam, Vicente should be a cake walk. Where is Andrew Jackson when you really need him?

What an arrogant piece of work this man is. He isn't fit to be dogcatcher. Hell with the opinion of 90% of the American People! The temperate of the public is at a boiling point. I see it everywhere after the protests. That's all people want to talk about and all in a negative way.

It was a rare sightseeing detour for Bush, who usually keeps to a tight diplomatic schedule, and raised speculation he was trying to revive a back-slapping relationship with Fox that saw them dubbed "the two amigos" at the start of their administrations.

He's trying to revive the "two amigos" image with sentiments in the USA as they are I think we can confirm the man is insane.

About 50 anti-globalization protesters chanted "Bush, Murderer," at a demonstration in downtown Cancun, some 10 miles from the plush hotel strip where the leaders met.

At the rate things are going the Mexicans will be chanting that to him right outside the White House soon.

Rifle-toting federal police in riot gear scuffled briefly with 30 Mayan handicraft sellers at Chichen Itza bearing signs that said "Bush, go home" and complaining of being barred from the site.

..."just good people" :P

Despite an increase in anti-U.S. feeling in Latin America in recent years, there were few protests in the resort, which is far from major Mexican cities and too expensive for most Mexicans to stay in.

Good thing they isolated themselves, the protests in our country by the illegals probably would have looked like a small picnic compared to what he would face in Mexico City.

If Bush has the mod-edit to go after Saddam, Vicente should be a cake walk.

but you see, Fox is on the border where people can SEE what is going on if there is trouble. Iraq is clear across another entire continent and an ocean in either direction.

Gofer

He isn't fit to be dogcatcher

Can you imagine GWB as a dog catcher ?!! And if he happened to have been born into another family he could very well be a dog catcher. It's not exactly like he made it to where he is on his own merit.

Next time he makes a speech I'm going to think of him as a dog catcher.

Maybe not, I'm sure dog catchers are very nice people not to mention pretty brave. But like Gofer said, he's not even fit to be a dog catcher, let alone what he is !!

Too bad many Americans are so FED UP with the POTUS that we feel an urge to say such horrible things. Trust me, I don't like doing it, but when I see how lightly he takes our concerns and how uninterested he is in 70-80 % of what the American people think, and when he blatantly and smuggly ignores the will of the American people....I feel I have no choice but to give something back to him. What else can we do ??

Write him a "proper, reasonable, respectful letter" ?? COME ON !!! That's all been tried. It failed miserably. So what's left ? Give up and walk away while he makes horrendous choices and decisions for the United States of America ?!! I don't see that as an option.

Apparently the only thing he REALLY understands are "protests".

Well, the President, infront of the flags of three nations on the North American continent as a background, gave a press conference that was televised on CNN.

I think he is quaking in his boots, to be honest. He hedged his words, even specified WHICH jobs Americans won't do-- making SAUSAGE! And then he laughed at us again.

I am sick to death over his nonsense. He is trying to plead with these people to let him give all these Mexican nationals citizenship because, I bet you, Fox has got him in a stranglehold that he never should have allowed himself to be in.

But I get the impression that he understands now that the American people are pissed off royally and that there is going to be big trouble over this if he doesn't find a way to get these people OUT of this country and ask AMERICANS whether they want those friggin jobs or not!