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[igotthisguitar]

Bush Vows Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

TUCSON, Ariz. - President Bush said Monday he wants to crack down on those who enter the country illegally but also give out more visas to foreigners with jobs, a dual plan he hopes will appease the social conservatives and business leaders who are his core supporters.

"The American people should not have to choose between a welcoming society and a lawful society," Bush said from the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base about an hour from the Mexican border. "We can have both at the same time."

The touchy issue of immigration has divided lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he will bring up the issue early next year. The House hopes to tackle some border security measures before adjourning for the year, but little time remains and it has other issues on its plate.

Bush also pitches his plan in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday. Texas and Arizona are home to GOP senators who have been vocal on the need to change immigration laws but who aren't entirely sold on Bush's vision.

The idea for temporary worker visas has been especially divisive and is stalled in Congress. Bush said he does not support amnesty for illegal immigrants, but he does want to give workers a way to earn an honest living doing jobs that other Americans are unwilling to do and issue more green cards.

"Listen, there's a lot of opinions on this proposal," Bush said. "I understand that, but people in this debate must recognize that we will not be able to effectively enforce our immigration laws until we create a temporary worker program."

Also Monday in Phoenix, Bush sought to counter calls by some in Congress for a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces. "We will stay until the job is done, not a day longer. We will get the job done in Iraq," Bush told 1,300 people at a fund-raiser that was expected to bring in $1.4 million for Republican Sen. Jon Kyl's re-election campaign.

The president also promoted his plans to make tax cuts permanent, praised his Supreme Court picks — new Chief Justice John Roberts and associate justice nominee Samuel Alito — and pitched his immigration and border security proposals.

Earlier in Tucson, Bush spoke to a supportive audience that included border patrol agents and military troops. He was flanked by two black Customs and Border Protection helicopters and giant green and yellow signs that said "Protecting America's Borders."

He said he is providing border agents with cutting-edge technology like overhead surveillance drones and infrared cameras, while at the same time constructing simple physical barriers to entry.

The president's push on border security and immigration comes a month after Bush signed a $32 billion homeland security bill for 2006 that contains large increases for border protection, including 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents.

Bush has been urging Congress to act on a guest worker program for more than a year. Under his plan, undocumented immigrants 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.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., along with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., has proposed providing illegal immigrants in the United States visas for up to six years. After that, they must either leave the United States or be in the pipeline for a green card, which indicates lawful permanent residency.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Kyl support an alternative proposal that would require illegal immigrants to return to their home country to apply for a temporary worker program.

McCain and Kyl appeared with Bush, while Kennedy issued a statement criticizing the president for talking about immigration reform without acting after nearly five years in office. And it wasn't just Democrats saying that — Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said Americans "are tired of talk and ready for action."

And, she added, "We have no business discussing guest worker programs until we can actually prevent illegal entry."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051129/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

[igotthisguitar]

Officials wary of border uniforms made in Mexico
11/27/2005 1:37 PM
By: Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The labels inside U.S. Border Patrol uniforms have been making many federal agents feel uneasy.

It's not the fit or feel of the olive-green shirts and pants, but what their labels read: Made in Mexico.''

Agents and lawmakers are concerned about the consequences if the uniforms for agents charged with combating illegal immigration fall into the hands of criminals or terrorists.

U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, worries about how easy it might be for people to cross the border if they stole a uniform.

Customs officials say they haven't detected any security breaches or misuse of the uniforms. Strict security measures are in place, including on-site inspections at the Mexican plant.

For more than a year, the shirts and pants worn by agents and inspectors with U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been made in Mexico.

The uniforms are supplied by VF Solutions of Nashville, Tennessee, which subcontracts its work to plants in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and the Dominican Republic.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=150595

[Ya-ta Boy]

I saw nothing in that article saying how employers who hire illegals will be punished. Until I see that, I won't be convinced he is serious about the issue.

[Octavius Hite]

Exactly you want to end illegal immigration, a zero-tolerance $10,000 fine for each and every illegal found working at your farm/store/home/etc. That would end illegal immigration in days.

[igotthisguitar]