- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Looking
to draw more Hispanics behind his re-election bid, President Bush on Wednesday
will propose a temporary worker program to help millions of immigrants
work legally in the United States, officials said.
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- Facing a possibly close election next November, Bush
is reviving an issue put on hold when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks raised
American worries about terrorists slipping across U.S. borders and prompted
tighter control of foreigners entering and living in the country.
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- Bush was to lay out the plan in a 2:45 p.m. EST (1945
GMT) speech on Wednesday from the White House East Room. He will outline
broad principles and leave details to be negotiated with Congress.
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- He will discuss the plan next Monday with Mexican President
Vicente Fox, who has been pressuring Bush for U.S. immigration reform.
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- Under his plan, illegal immigrants in the United States
would be able to gain legal status for an initial three-year period if
they can prove they have jobs, senior Bush administration officials said.
Estimates on the number of illegals range from 8 million up to 14 million.
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- They would have permission to leave the country and come
back as needed, and would be able to renew their three-year visas for a
number of times to be negotiated with Congress, the officials said.
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- Officials insisted this did not amount to a blanket amnesty
for illegal immigrants living in the United States and that having a job
under the temporary worker program would not provide any additional advantage
for obtaining permanent residency status.
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- "We believe that this is an attractive program which
will reduce the number of illegals here," said one official who briefed
reporters in a conference call.
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- In addition, those outside the country wanting to work
in the United States would be able to sign up for jobs if they exist. Employers
would first have to show the jobs cannot be filled by Americans, who increasingly
shun the types of menial labor jobs that immigrants take.
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- 'POLITICAL POSITIONING'
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- Bush's plan raised the possibility of a new flood of
illegal immigrants crossing the border in search of a job before Congress
approves of any legislation, so that they would be eligible for the three-year
program.
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- Officials played down this possibility, saying border
controls were much stronger in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
More than 400 people died over the past year trying to cross into the United
States, and "coyote" smugglers command prices of $1,500 to $5,000
to ferret illegals in.
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- The goal is to end the "underground economy"
that illegals operate in. Employers would have to pay them the minimum
wage and their Social Security taxes.
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- The officials did not make clear what would happen to
the children or other family members of the illegal immigrants who are
living in the United States with the employed person.
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- If implemented, the plan could lead to the biggest change
in U.S. immigration law since 1986 legislation giving legal status to millions
of illegal immigrants, many of them smuggled across the Mexican border.
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- How long it would take to negotiate the legislation was
unclear. "Who knows?" said senior official.
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- Bush's re-election team would like to increase Hispanic
support for a second term for the president, particularly in states where
they could tip the balance in his favor, such as Florida and California.
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- Hispanic organizations said it was about time Bush addressed
the issue after campaigning in 2000 for immigration reform.
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- "We fear this is political positioning and we really
want to see some sincere policy outcomes and see something that really
helps the immigrant community and not just the Bush campaign," said
Michele Waslin, spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza.
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- Conservatives were worried. Rep. Thomas Tancredo, a Colorado
Republican who leads the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, a group
of 70 legislators that argues for more restrictions, said an amnesty of
any kind was a "step backwards."
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- But supporters of immigration reform said something had
to be done. "We have 10.5 million illegal workers in the United States
right now. If they went home, we'd have to shut down the country,"
said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue.
- © Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
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