Early reaction to President Bush's remarks

In many ways, President Bush’s remarks from the Oval Office this evening didn’t quite match the expectations his staff has built for the address over the past several days. The lead-up, including headlines in most of today’s national newspapers, was one centered on border protection and the mobilization of the National Guard to the Mexican border. And while Mr. Bush did make this proposal at the top of his address, the vast majority of his rhetoric seemed to be dedicated to bridging a compromise on the pressing question of how best to deal with those already in the United States illegally.

The bill passed by the U. S. House of Representatives, which makes it a felony to be in this country illegally, is the proper course of action. Mr. Bush didn’t endorse this measure tonight and, indeed, came well short, stopping just shy of backing the amnesty he claims to reject. There was a subtle hypocrisy to the president’s remarks, as he condemned a “catch and release” mechanism yet applauded a “temporary worker” program. Consider his comments on “catch and release:”

For many years, the government did not have enough space in our detention facilities to hold them while the legal process unfolded. So most were released back into our society and asked to return for a court date. When the date arrived, the vast majority did not show up. This practice, called “catch and release,” is unacceptable – and we will end it.

Now consider the president’s “temporary worker” proposal:

I support a temporary worker program that would create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way, for a limited period of time. This program would match willing foreign workers with willing American employers for jobs Americans are not doing. Every worker who applies for the program would be required to pass criminal background checks. And temporary workers must return to their home country at the conclusion of their stay.

This begs the question: just what force is it that will make these “temporary workers” return home on schedule if there is no such mechanism to make captured aliens appear for their day in court?

Mr. Bush should be applauded for trying to find a compromise on a contentious and difficult issue that divides not just the American public but, indeed, much of the Republican Party. Once the border is secured – something that must be an immediate national priority and that the president seems to be on board with – compromise is the way to go. The problem is that Mr. Bush’s compromise won’t get the job done.

The idea of placing those already here illegally in “the back of the line” for citizenship is pure rubbish. The reality is that they are not placed in the back of the line; they are placed in the back of the line of those already in this country. Unless the United States mandates that these people return home pending their legal progression, the reality is that they continue to have a leg up on those who are legally trying to enter this country from abroad and that is fundamentally wrong.

There are a lot of hard working immigrants in America who pay countless fees to work toward citizenship and remain here legally. Their contributions to this nation’s way of life are priceless. They, in short, represent much of the fabric upon which the United States was founded.

By allowing those who take a jog through the Rio Grande to stay here with the same status as these legal immigrants is a blatant insult to the entire notion of lawfulness, no matter where in the line alien immigrants are placed.

I’m glad the National Guard is being called to the border and I’m glad the White House is getting serious about immigration. But the House of Representatives still seems to be the only part of the federal government that understands one basic reality: to be in the United States illegally is to be in violation of the laws that hold this society together. And it is time we start treating criminals like criminals.