Bush Seeks Unlimited Immigration
and Amnesty for Illegals

By Phil Kent and J.L. Woodruff

o realize his vision of what he calls "the new America," President George W. Bush proposed a dramatic and sweeping expansion of American immigration policy, including amnesty for an estimated 9 million to 12 million illegal aliens living in the U.S.

Although the president and administration officials insist the proposal is not amnesty, illegal aliens will not be prosecuted for violating immigration law, and will instead receive eligibility to apply for "green cards" and eventual U.S. citizenship without penalty if U.S. employers are willing to give them jobs. The proposal dramatically expands U.S. immigration policy by eliminating current limits on the number of foreigners entering the country to work.

"The president has long talked about the importance of having an immigration policy that matches willing workers with willing employers," said White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan.

The immigration proposal is certain to accelerate the de-Americanization of the U.S. hailed by then-candidate George W. Bush in August, 2000. During a campaign visit to Miami, he told an Hispanic audience that he welcomes the transformation of the U.S. by non-European peoples.

"America has one national creed, but many accents. We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism, and culture. Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago, or West New York, New Jersey... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende. For years our nation has debated this change - some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America."

Under Bush's proposed amnesty, illegal immigrants will be eligible to apply for temporary worker status for up to six years, getting all the benefits of a citizen ranging from drivers' licenses to Social Security checks. To facilitate the amnesty, the president is asking Congress to raise the number of legal "green cards" handed out to immigrants each year, but he has so far not specified how many millions will be needed.

Bush said that the new "temporary workers" could also apply for citizenship "in the normal way" and travel outside the U.S. and return, bringing their entire families with them to live in the U.S.
If passed by Congress as proposed, there would be no limit on the number of "guest workers" admitted at any time. Any foreign national anywhere in the world could come to the U.S. if he finds a job here. U.S. businesses could post job listings on the Internet, and if an American doesn't take the job in an unspecified time span then the business could import a foreign worker.

Economists note that employers will likely hire more foreigners than they do now, because Third World populations are willing to work for less wages than American workers are. The Washington Times quotes a White House official who said the fact that a job is open will be assumed to mean that the marketplace has determined the need for another immigrant. As a result, the upward pressure of Third World immigration on the joblessness among U.S. workers and the downward pressure on wages will be increased.

The president's proposal includes extending the benefits of America's Social Security system to Mexican illegals. Under the Social Security Act, illegal aliens are eligible for benefits only if the U.S. and the home country of an illegal have a "totalization" agreement. If Congress agrees and the president successfully negotiates such an agreement with Mexico, the end result will add billions in entitlement obligations to a Social Security system that faces revenue shortfalls in the near future.

The Center for Immigration Studies says in light of the number of legal and illegal Mexicans potentially eligible for benefits under the Bush plan, the total expenditure for U.S. taxpayers would far surpass $1 billion annually. Reporter Joel Mowbray calculates that a "totalization" agreement with Mexico could well cost U.S. taxpayers $345 billion over the next 20 years. If untold millions of illegal Mexicans, Middle Easterners and others are allowed to collect full Social Security benefits for themselves and their families -- without having to work the required number of years that law-abiding citizens work to be eligible -- the system could go belly-up fast.

Because the children of illegal immigrants born on U.S. soil automatically become U.S. citizens, Third World populations seeking welfare and free healthcare have long sought to sneak across U.S. borders. In President Bush's "New America," those populations will need only become "temporary guest workers" with no fear of deportation. Everyone knows the government could never expel the "guest worker" parents of a U.S. citizen child born on American soil.

The Bush amnesty has been endorsed by leading conservative Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-XX, and the editors of the right-wing "Weekly Standard," but a number of GOP candidates running for the U.S. House and Senate around the country are scrambling to distance themselves from the White House on this issue.

U.S. Rep. Johnny Isakson is one example. Running for the Senate in Georgia, Isakson flatly says the proposal rewards law-breaking and that he won't support it. All of the candidates in Georgia's 6th District congressional GOP primary broke with their president after his announcement.

GOP politicians face a dilemma: They know polls show that most Americans oppose amnesty for illegals by wide margins, but they fear crossing the White House and its new "Hispanic strategy" developed by powerful Bush political advisor Karl Rove.

Bush's "temporary worker" scheme is not likely to pass Congress if Republicans realize they could face a GOP voter revolt in November.