BUSH SEES OPTIONS ON IMMIGRATION
By James Gerstenzang, Times Staff Writer
ktla 5, CA
April 25 2006
In an Irvine speech, he says the U.S. should control its borders but
also be open to a guest-worker program.
President Bush, seeking to jump-start the congressional debate
on immigration, said Monday that “massive deportation” of illegal
immigrants would not work and that the U.S. could remain open to
immigrants while controlling its borders.
In an hourlong presentation to an Orange County business group, Bush
acknowledged the emotions on both sides of the issue. But in a message
clearly directed at the harshest critics of illegal immigration,
he said, “One thing we cannot lose sight of is that we’re talking
about human beings, decent human beings that need to be treated
with respect.”
Bush’s speech in Irvine coincided with the Senate’s return from a
two-week recess, which began the same day that large rallies supporting
immigrant rights were held across the country. More boycotts and
protests are planned for May 1.
Short of calling for all illegal immigrants to be sent to their home
countries, Bush offered something for nearly everyone concerned about
the issue. He insisted that the borders be protected. He supported
a course for some here illegally to gain citizenship. He renewed his
plea for a guest-worker program, opposed by many Republicans.
And he delivered a reminder of the desperate economic needs – to put
food on their families’ tables – that prompt people to risk their
lives and spend thousands of dollars trying to enter the United States.
“You can be a nation of law and a compassionate nation at the same
time,” Bush said.
Noting that U.S. authorities had captured 6 million people trying
to cross the border since he took office in January 2001, Bush
addressed those who want to deport the estimated 12 million people
here illegally.
“Massive deportation of the people here is unrealistic,” Bush said.
“It’s just not going to work.”
But he offered no new ideas to break the deadlock that has foiled
congressional efforts to overhaul immigration laws.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said the president planned
to discuss immigration today with a bipartisan group of senators –
most of whom supported legislation that would create a guest-worker
program, a path to citizenship, and allow many of those here illegally
to work toward citizenship. That bill foundered on procedural measures
this month.
A House bill passed in December concentrates solely on enforcement, an
approach backed by some Senate conservatives who think border security
must come first. Conservatives in the House, which returns from its
recess today, see any legalization program as a reward for lawbreaking.
Bush spoke here just days after the Department of Homeland Security
conducted widespread work-site raids and after Senate Republicans
announced they would seek an additional $2 billion for border security
in the supplemental spending bill being debated this week.
“When you combine this speech with the raids of last week and the
talk in the Senate of adding enforcement money to the supplemental,
they’re saying you can enforce the border and have a guest-worker
program at the same time,” said Tamar Jacoby, a senior fellow at the
Manhattan Institute, a business-friendly public policy center.
Aides said Bush came to Orange County so he could deliver the remarks
in a region where immigration was a key issue.
Costa Mesa was the first city in the nation to seek to train its police
officers in immigration law enforcement, and Orange County Sheriff
Michael S. Carona has sought such cross-training for his deputies.
It is home to Jim Gilchrist, a co-founder of the Minuteman Project,
which Bush has called a vigilante group. And it was the birthplace
of Proposition 187, the 1994 state ballot initiative that sought to
restrict public services for illegal immigrants.
Outside the event at the Hyatt Regency near John Wayne Airport,
about 250 protesters weighed in on a variety of issues – immigration,
the war in Iraq, environmental protection, even recognition of the
Armenian genocide of 1915.
Most of those protesting Bush’s immigration policy said the
president was too soft on illegal immigrants. Barbara Coe, coauthor
of Proposition 187, said Bush “betrayed our trust. He’s put America
up for sale in exchange for cheap labor.”