Nov. 30, 2005
By Louie Gilot
El Paso Times
PRESIDENT'S VISIT | SCOPING OUT EL PASO
A guest-worker program in the United States would "take pressure off our borders," President Bush said Tuesday after a short tour of the border in El Paso.
"When you match willing worker with willing employer on a job Americans won't do, with a tamper-proof card that says, 'I'm here legally for a temporary basis,' it means our Border Patrol agents won't have to chase people coming here illegally to work. They'll be able to chase criminals and drug traffickers and crooks," Bush said.
The president -- accompanied by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff -- landed at the El Paso International Airport at 8:45 a.m. and was greeted by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. The visit, which lasted an hour and a half and closed traffic on several roads, centered on border security and immigration reform, after a similar event Monday in Tucson.
Bush's motorcade drove along Paisano Drive, on the dirt road that follows the Rio Grande, passing Border Patrol agents in trucks, in all-terrain vehicles and on horseback.
Paul Beeson, deputy chief patrol agent in El Paso, pointed out surveillance cameras and lights.
"I had the opportunity to tell him about the El Paso sector and our technology," Beeson said. "He is well-briefed. He's got a good sense of what we're trying to do."
Bush, who had put on a green jacket embroidered with USBP for the U.S. Border Patrol, stopped under an overpass to speak to the press.
The president reiterated his support for increased funding for the Border Patrol and his desire to end the "catch and release" practice of giving immigrants who are not from Mexico a court date and letting them go free. Bush also said he wanted to see a "work-site enforcement program" that would give employers the tools to recognize falsified immigration papers and penalize employers who choose to hire undocumented immigrants.
Perhaps the most controversial part of Bush's border security vision is a guest-worker program. Since he introduced the idea last year, U.S. Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, have drafted a bill that is close to the president's wishes. Undocumented workers would have to leave the United States to apply for the program, they would be allowed to work for up to six years and would have to return to their countries, they would not be allowed to apply to stay legally in the United States, and their families could not come with them.
Critics find Bush's approach to immigration reform lacking.
U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said after Bush's immigration speech Monday in Tucson that the president fell short of a fair guest-worker program.
Ouisa Davis, the executive director of the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, said the Cornyn-Kyl bill discriminated against low-skilled workers.
"It's unjust. They are treating low-skilled workers as disposable. The visa category for high-skilled workers has a provision to apply to stay as permanent residents," Davis said.
A competing bill, by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., proposes a temporary guest-worker program, which would put undocumented immigrants on a path toward U.S. citizenship.
A survey by the Pew Hispanic Center found that by a ratio of 4-to-1, immigrants interviewed said they would sign up for a temporary-worker program. An estimated 8 million to 10 million undocumented immigrants are living in the United States.
Tuesday, Bush took a stand against amnesty.
"Amnesty would be a mistake. Granting amnesty to the people who have come to our country illegally would invite others to come to our country illegally," he said.
Josiah Heyman, a University of Texas at El Paso anthropology professor who has studied border and immigration issues since 1982, said any country that has guest-worker programs will need some kind of legalization program.
"Amnesty sort of puts the emphasis on the fact that one used to break the law," he said. "Legalization puts the emphasis on changing that from outlaw status to open legal."
Heyman said Bush used the word "amnesty" because "he knows it would scare people."
The president also answered a few questions from reporters about current events. He reiterated his commitment to stay in Iraq.
"See, we want to win. The whole objective is to achieve a victory against the terrorists. The terrorists have made it very clear that Iraq is a central front on the war on terror. See, they want us to leave before we've achieved our mission. You know why? Because they want a safe haven. They want to be able to plot and plan attacks. This country must never forget the lessons of September the 11th, 2001. And a victory in Iraq will deny the terrorists their stated goal," he said.
Bush was asked for his opinion on the resignation of U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who acknowledged Monday taking $2.4 million in bribes.
"The idea of a congressman taking money is outrageous. And Congressman Cunningham is going to realize that he has broken the law and is going to pay a serious price, which he should," Bush said.
Before stepping into Air Force One again, headed to a fund-raiser for Rep. Marilyn Musgrave in Colorado, Bush said goodbye to Natalie Acosta, a Northeast resident who was active in the Amigos de Bush organization.
"I said, 'We're not going to let you go home.' He said, 'I have to -- two more years,' " Acosta said.
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