Bush in a tough place on immigration reform

CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace

By Kelly Wallace
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration is learning very quickly how complicated and how politically charged immigration reform can be.

Just last week the White House said it was considering a task force proposal to allow the estimated 3 million Mexicans living illegally in the United States to achieve permanent legal residence through a guest-worker program.

Almost immediately there was applause from Mexican-Americans, whose votes the president is trying to court. Just as quickly came criticism.

Immigration-rights activists said that other immigrants -- not just Mexicans -- should get the same consideration. Conservative members of the president's party said such a proposal would reward people who entered the country by breaking the law.

Bush tried to answer some of his critics on Thursday, saying his administration would consider all immigrants, not just Mexicans. He stressed, however, that he would not support granting "blanket amnesty" to all illegal immigrants.

"Well, we'll consider all folks here," the president said in response to a reporter's question. "Let me make this clear to people ... there was a word creeping in the vernacular about this issue, called amnesty. I oppose blanket amnesty. The American people need to know that."

The president continued, "I do believe, though, that when we find willing employer and willing employee, we ought to match the two. We ought to make it easier for people who want to employ somebody, who are looking for workers, to be able to hire people who want to work."

Bush said the issue of Mexican immigrants was at the "forefront" because he was preparing for his first state visit with Mexican President Vicente Fox in September, during which it is believed the two leaders will announce steps to reduce illegal immigration and increase safety at the U.S.-Mexican border.

U.S. and Mexican officials have been talking about immigration reform since early this year, discussions that led to the proposal by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Attorney General John Ashcroft to grant residence status to Mexican illegal immigrants.

"I'm open-minded," said Bush. "I'll listen to all proposals that people have in mind."

Nevertheless, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer reiterated Thursday that Bush was not considering an amnesty program.

"Nobody in this administration talked about amnesty," Fleischer said. "It's always been a guest worker program."

Under a 1986 "blanket amnesty" law signed by President Reagan, about 3 million undocumented immigrants from all countries were able to gain permanent residency.

Critics of "blanket amnesty" say it rewards those who enter the United States illegally.

"You know how you feel when you're sitting in traffic on the freeway hours on end, and some guy just zips along on the shoulder and butts in front of everybody?" said Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

"That's how we ought to feel when we see an amnesty. People crashing the borders, breaking the law, getting ahead of the line. Telling the guy who waits patiently and plays by the rules that he's a sucker."

Supporters of what the administration is considering say immigration reform is needed to curb a black market in the transport of illegal aliens.

"Essentially, we have hard-working Mexicans who are coming to fill jobs that would otherwise go unfilled, but our immigration laws make it impossible for them to do that legally," said Frank Sherry of the National Immigration Forum.

"So what we've done is, we've created a black market in immigration in which smugglers are paid high fees, in which some employers deliberately hire undocumented immigrants to exploit them.

"What we'd really like to see is an effective set of rules that allow people to come here legally, to work legally. We think that would maximize the benefits for the immigrants and for the American communities," Sherry said.

What may be difficult for Bush is to tell lawmakers what his plan is and what it is not, since Congress would have to approve.

Any proposal to allow immigrants to obtain permanent legal residence through a guest-worker program, regardless of whether they are in the country illegally or came with temporary work visas, could, in the end, look a bit like some form of amnesty.