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Most support, some criticize Bush visit
May 18, 2006 08:47 PM EDT Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version


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Most support, some criticize Bush visit






Yuma residents provided President Bush a generally upbeat welcome Thursday as he came to Arizona's southwestern corner to focus on immigration reform, matching the city's toasty presummer triple-digit greeting.


For the most part, his visit generated excitement and support. Several Hispanics gave Bush high marks for attempting to come up with a plan they believe deals fairly with the thorny issue of illegal immigrants and offering them the chance for legal status.

But he also drew a smattering of criticism.

"It's just cool. It's America at work," said Fran Cornwell, who with her husband Gordon, a retired Air Force veteran, watched Air Force One deliver Bush to the Marine Corps Air Station-Yuma shortly after 10 a.m.

They joined 200 to 300 people who saw the landing from just north of the air station.

Juanita Carter, a retiree from Oregon, concurred. "I think it was pretty awesome. It was just beautiful. I was so excited.

"He's our president. I wanted to wave our flags."

Across the street from the U.S. Border Patrol's Yuma sector headquarters, where Bush spoke, many of the several dozen people said they supported him.

"You betcha," said Carolyn Shy, who endorsed most of Bush's immigration plan.

"I'm not for the amnesty part of it -- and it is amnesty, in the long term," she said. "I'm for the people who want to come here legally and do it right the first time. Nothing against immigration; I'm against illegal, she said. "This is America, fought and bought, fair and square."

Sandra Galvan, 39, a medical assistant and billing clerk for a Yuma clinic, said she came "just for support and to show my appreciation for what he's doing for the country."

Immigration reform is "a hard decision to make," and she called Bush's choice the smartest and fairest to make, "meaning he's giving the people a chance to get amnesty. I think he's doing the best he can."

Dannae Salas, a Yuma High School junior, waited 2 1/2 hours to see the president arrive. "I think he's doing the right thing" concerning immigration, she said. "He's not saying he doesn't like immigrants. There are other ways they can come in."

But Vicky Anaya, a Somerton teacher, who called the president's visit "a big deal for Yuma," said she sees both sides of the immigration issue.

"From the American side, I see what he's trying to do. But being Hispanic and my parents being immigrants, for the immigrants I think it's horrible. They're coming to try to get a better life. And there's going to be more deaths if they secure the border," she said.

"Because immigrants are going to find other ways and there are going to be more deaths."

Alan Garcia, a freshman at Arizona Western College, said he came out to see what Bush had to say about immigrants.

The president's reform package "is pretty good," he said, "but immigrants have the right to work in the United States too. I don't think anybody besides them will work as hard at labor as they do for as little money. But I think the president is doing a good job by coming out here and telling everyone what he's doing."

But Enrique Morones of San Diego, who heads the humanitarian organization Border Angels, called Bush's appearance "a dog and pony show."

"President Bush one day tells (Mexican) President Fox that they're not going to militarize the border and the next day he announces that they're going to have unmanned drones fly across the border and they're going to expand their `wall of shame,' the 'wall of death' ... and they're going to put 6,000 troops on the border. If that's not militarization of the border I don't know what is."

Morones added, "It is shameful for President Bush to be saying one thing and doing another."

Back at the airport, Ben Keeme (pronounced KEE-me), an unemployed Yuma native, said, "I wish I got to see the president, but Air Force One is just as good."

He said he agrees with Bush on immigration reform, especially deploying the National Guard on the border, though not on other issues.

If the United States can station thousands of troops to protect South Korea's border, he asked, "why can't we have them here, protecting our border?"

http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4924144

Seems like Yuma is shooting themselves in the foot!