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Bush Says Massive Deportation Is Not Realistic LOS ANGELES (By James Gerstenzang and Jean O. Pasco, LATimes) April 24, 2006 — President Bush in Irvine today called for a rational, temporary guest worker program and said that attempting to deport as many as 12 million undocumented workers illegally in the United States was a policy that was not going to work.Bush capped a four-day trip to California with a visit to the Orange County Business Council, made up of 300 businesses, where he gave his most detailed comments on immigration since a bipartisan compromise in the Senate fell apart more than two weeks ago. Congress returned to Washington today from its holiday recess with immigration policy one of the key unresolved issues on its agenda. "We cannot lose sight of that we are talking about human beings that need to be treated with respect," Bush told the group, adding, "Massive deportation of human beings is not going to work." As he has before, Bush tried to temper his call for tough enforcement. "You can be a nation of law and a compassionate nation at the same time," he said. Today's speech placed Bush in an unusual position in trying to persuade an audience believed to be more conservative than he is on the immigration issue. The county's Republican congressional delegation unanimously supported a tougher House bill than the Senate compromise. About 250 people protested outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel. "Why would you want to come to Orange County to talk about immigration," he joked. "I understand it is an emotional subject." Bush was forceful in his presentation, insisting as he has before that a new immigration policy had to toughen enforcement at the border but must allow workers to enter temporarily to do jobs that he said Americans were unwilling to do. He rejected calls for a blanket amnesty for the 11 million to 12 million undocumented workers believed to be in the United States and spoke favorably about the Senate compromise. "This is one of the really important questions Congress is going to have to deal with," Bush said. The Senate "had an interesting approach by saying that if you'd been here for five years or less, you're treated one way, and five years or more, you're treated another." The Senate compromise called for three classes of workers who would be treated differently. Those in the U.S. more than five years would be put on a track to citizenship after paying fees and taxes. Those in the U.S. less than two years would have to return to their country of origin and those in-between would go back briefly before being allowed to re-enter with other temporary workers. By favoring a guest worker program, Bush has angered some Republicans who are otherwise among his most ardent supporters. So, a willingness to direct more money toward sealing the borders suggests an effort to persuade those most upset by seemingly unchecked illegal immigration that he hears their concerns. Orange County has become a flashpoint in the nation's immigration debate. In a state that twice voted by large margins for Bush's Democratic presidential opponents, the county, which is demographically changing, continues to be a reliable source for Republican political contributions and for personal political support for the president. Costa Mesa, a city of 110,000, was the first in the nation to seek training on immigration issues for its police officers. Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona also has sought such training for his deputies. The county is also home to Jim Gilchrist, a co-founder of the Minuteman Project citizen patrol, which Bush has called a vigilante group, and it was the birthplace of Proposition 187, the 1994 ballot initiative that sought to restrict public services for illegal immigrants. Attorney Al Amezcua hesitated when asked later if the president sufficiently answered his question about what Latinos should do to encourage Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. "I was satisfied to the extent that it's significant he came to Orange County to start a dialogue," Amezcua, of Santa Ana, said. "But I'd like him and his Cabinet to take a more aggressive approach and tell Congress: 'Here's my perspective.' He could be at a time in history where one of the main milestones of his presidency would be to make America truly a part of the global economy by recognizing the contributions of those who are here." Meg Waters, a public relations consultant from Laguna Niguel, asked Bush a more pointed question about immigration: how he planned to address the impact of millions of undocumented immigrants swelling California schools and emergency rooms, where many seek primary medical care. Waters said her daughter waited five hours last year to see a doctor in an emergency room because it was packed with immigrants. Bush responded that non-emergency care should be handled by community health centers. "Bet you have them in Orange County," he said. "You don't?" he added quizzically when Waters and others shook their heads. Of the county's six members of Congress, three were present at the Bush speech -- freshman Rep. John Campbell (R-Irvine), elected in December; and Reps. Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) and Ken Calvert (R-Riverside). Absent were two critics of the guest worker plan -- Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) -- as well as the county's only Democratic member, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana). Outside the event, protesters pressed into a usually quiet private cul-de-sac behind the Hyatt hotel, creating a cacophony as they chanted for their causes: against illegal immigration, for immigrant rights, against the war in Iraq, for environmental protection, and for recognition of the Armenian genocide in 1915. Irvine police spokesman Jeff Love estimated the crowd at 250 protesters. About 75 police patrolled the hotel as Bush entered through a loading dock, Love said. The route left him little opportunity to see the protesters. Love said there was one arrest, a 16-year-old man who allegedly challenged another protester to a fight. Most of those protesting against Bush's immigration policy said the president is too soft on illegal immigrants. Barbara Coe, co-author of California's Proposition 187, which sought to deny public benefits to undocumented immigrants, was among the protesters and said Bush "betrayed our trust." "He's put America up for sale in exchange for cheap labor," she said. Ron Weller, a 61-year-old La Habra man who said he belongs to the Minuteman Project, said he supports building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and attacked Bush's position. "Ask Bush what is around the White House," he said. "It's a fence." Arturo Guevara, a resident of San Juan Capistrano, stood on a nearby corner rallying for immigrant rights. "I want Bush to know that immigrants help our economy," he said. "Giving them the ability to work helps employers be more productive, and that helps us all." Bush spoke as members of Congress were returning to Washington after a two-week recess -- with the agitation over immigration still roiling the political waters. The timing of the speech and his decision to deliver it in a community where immigration has become an extremely sensitive matter suggest a renewed effort to move the debate forward despite the Senate's pre-recess setback. Indeed, a White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the president, who spent Sunday in Palm Springs and headed to Las Vegas for a fundraiser for Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.) after the speech, detoured to Irvine so he could deliver the remarks in a community where the immigration debate is at its most emotional. When Congress left Washington two weeks ago, few accepted responsibility for the collapse of the compromise. Republicans said Democrats refused to permit debate on amendments, while Democrats said Republicans offered amendments that might significantly alter the legislation. The House has passed a bill -- supported unanimously by the Orange County Republicans in Congress -- that would be considerably more punitive than the one under consideration by the Senate. The House measure focuses on border security and immigrant smuggling, making it a felony to be in the United States without a valid visa. It would also make it a felony to offer humanitarian assistance to an illegal immigrant, and calls for the building of a fence and deploying more border agents along the U.S.-Mexican border. The measure was sponsored by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, whom Democrats say would force drastic changes in a Senate bill during negotiations over the measures' final form. Much of the debate two weeks ago focused on whether, as well as when, to grant citizenship to those in the country illegally. Bush has regularly stated his opposition to letting illegal immigrants, regardless of how long they have been living in the United States, "go to the head of the line" of those seeking citizenship. Before addressing immigration issues, Bush defended his administration's actions in Iraq and praised the efforts by U.S. troops. |
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