TUCSON, Ariz. – President Bush on Monday tried to ease the concerns of conservatives who are wary of his guest-worker plan for foreigners, talking tough about illegal immigration and a need for tight U.S. borders to deter terrorist attacks.
“Illegal immigration is a serious challenge, and our responsibility is clear: We are going to protect the border,” Bush said.
After spending nearly a week at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Bush went on the road to pitch his immigration plan, first in Tucson and again today in El Paso, Texas. The border states are home to GOP senators who say there is a need to change immigration laws but who aren’t entirely sold on Bush’s vision.
The president has been urging Congress to act on a guest-worker program for more than a year. Under his plan, undocumented aliens would be allowed to get three-year work visas. They could extend that for an additional three years, but would then have to return to their home countries for a year to apply for a new work permit.
Bush’s plan pairs a guest-worker program for foreigners with border security enforcement, an attempt to satisfy both his business supporters, who believe foreign workers help the economy, and other conservative backers who take a hard line on illegal immigration.
He said the program he’s proposing would create a legal way to match foreign workers with American employers to fill jobs that Americans will not do.
“This program would help meet the demands of a growing economy, and it would allow honest workers to provide for their families while respecting the law,” Bush said. “This plan would also help us relieve pressure on the border by creating a legal channel for those who enter America to do an honest day’s labor.”
Bush said his plan would reduce the number of workers trying to sneak across the border and free law enforcement officials to nab criminals, drug dealers and terrorists.
“The program that I propose would not create an automatic path to citizenship,” Bush said. “It wouldn’t provide for amnesty. I oppose amnesty. Rewarding those who have broken the law would encourage others to break the law and keep pressure on our border.”
The Senate has postponed its work on immigration proposals until early next year, partly because lawmakers are divided over the scope of such changes and whether foreigners illegally working in the United States should be allowed to stay. The House hopes to tackle some border security measures before adjourning, but little time remains.
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