Bush Attacks Criticism Of 'Amnesty'

By JAMES GERSTENZANG Los Angeles Times

Published: May 20, 2007

CRAWFORD, TEXAS - President Bush on Saturday tackled a key criticism of the immigration agreement pending before Congress, asserting it would settle the status of illegal immigrants without granting them amnesty.

With the Senate set to debate the measure this week, the clash over what constitutes "amnesty" looms as a major point of contention in a bill that also would toughen border security and establish a guest-worker program.

The legislation would offer probationary legal status to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants who were in the United States before Jan. 1. Those who then meet a series of requirements - including payment of a $5,000 fine and $2,000 in processing fees - could gain citizenship within an estimated 12 to 13 years.

Bush said the plan "will help us resolve the status of millions of illegal immigrants who are here already, without animosity and without amnesty."

But critics, led by Republican conservatives, dispute that categorization. They contend that any measure that would clear a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants represents amnesty, regardless of penalty provisions. As Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said this year, "My definition of amnesty is when you forgive and reward lawbreakers with the objective of their crimes."

Bush's remarks in his weekly radio address represented his first detailed public comment on the immigration proposal since it was announced Thursday after extensive negotiations among several Democratic and Republican senators and two Cabinet members.

Although the president long has pushed for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, he largely steered clear of the talks that produced the accord. His speech Saturday signaled his willingness to enter the fray.

The immigration issue is politically sensitive for Bush, given the opposition from some of his most ardent supporters to any bill that goes beyond beefed-up border security and a crackdown on the employment of illegal immigrants. But it is a topic he has focused on since he was governor of Texas in the 1990s.

Under the Senate bill, Bush said, those who "come out of the shadows" of illegal immigration would qualify for a special visa if they pass a "strict background check, pay a fine, hold a job, maintain a clean criminal record and eventually learn English."

To become citizens, he said, they would have to pay an additional fine, "go to the back of the line [of applications], pass a citizenship test and return to their country to apply for their green card."

The president recorded his address Friday, before he began a weekend visit to his ranch here.

The legislation reaches far beyond the controversial question of whether those who entered the United States illegally should be allowed to stay under any conditions.

It calls for hiring about 6,000 additional Border Patrol officers, building hundreds of miles of fences and vehicle barriers, and expanding surveillance with radar towers and aerial drones. Also, employers would be required to verify electronically the legal status of new hires and would face stiff penalties for breaking the law.

The plan also would revise rules for future legal immigration, giving less priority to relatives of those in the United States and more to applicants who have certain skills.

That change has drawn criticism from some Democrats and heightened uncertainty about the bill's fate.