Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Bush Administration Pushes for Permanent Residency Status for Illegal Mexican Immigrants

Aired July 28, 2001 - 17:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: The issue of Mexican immigration was a big issue in Washington this week. On Thursday, the Bush administration began pushing a plan that would permit illegal Mexican immigrants living in the United States to apply for permanent resident status. And when that news broke, critics from both parties lined up to punch holes in this politically charged plan.

Joining us now with a closer look at U.S.-Mexico relations and immigration are Demetrios Papademetriou, from the Migration Policy Institute and Cecilia Munoz from the National Council of La Raza.

Ms. Munoz, you first, how should we understand this recommendation now for permanent residency? It leads ultimately I would gather to citizenship. How many people -- who are they?

CECILIA MUNOZ, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA: Well, we know that there's a substantial number, maybe as many as six to eight million people living and working in the United States who really responded to a labor market need. These are folks who live here, they work in restaurants, hotels and a variety of industries. They pay taxes, they are raising children here.

They are really parts of our communities, so we think this proposal really gives us a chance to maybe bring our immigration laws into sink with some of the economic realities that have been driving migration.

FRAZIER: Under current law, these people would be considered undocumented, therefore illegal, even if they are wanted by the economy.

MUNOZ: That's absolutely right, and the question is that: is in our best interests to allow them to continue to work here illegally, or should we follow recommendations that have been made both by the business community and the labor movement, that say it's really in everybody's best interest to let these folks come out of the shadows and become full parts of our communities.

FRAZIER: Mr. Papademetriou, let's bring you into this and ask what you make of that kind of argument. You had said earlier that one legalization movement leads to another, and on and on down the line.

DEMETRIOS PAPADEMETRIOU, MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE: That's very true, and it's the only thing that we do, and I think it is important for us to understand that this is part of a larger overall strategy that tries to address the issue of migration, both as it is now on the ground -- and this is what this legalization would do -- but also prospectively, which is doing something about the fact that there are substantial numbers of American employers that continue to find that they need foreign workers.

So, if that was simply a legalization program, which is what we did about 15 years in 1986, and a number of other unilateral kinds of measures focusing on controls, but doing nothing about meeting the need for workers in the future, then I would have said that any legalization program would not really resolve the future issue of continuing an authorized migration.

And there is another component to the plan yet, which is enlisting Mexico in a cooperative venture to enforce laws, to attack systematically, bilaterally all of the organized criminal networks, that do -- among other things, responsible for drug trafficking, for people trafficking and truly are undermining the democracy and the laws of both Mexico and the United States.

What pleases me about this package is that it may or may not be good politics for Mr. Bush, or for the Democrats, or whomever, it just happens to be good, sound public policy, and this is what makes this different than what we've tried in the past.

FRAZIER: What about the fact, though, that this seems to be focusing just on people from one nation? There are other Latin Americans in this country, many of them illegal -- and let me ask you, Ms. Munoz -- from Guatemala, from Salvador, who fought hard to get here -- from Colombia -- and would not apparently be considered under this new plan?

MUNOZ: Sure. And it's not just Latin Americans, it's really people from all over the world. I think it's important to keep in perspective that this debate is starting because we're having bilateral negotiations between the United States and Mexico. You can understand from the point of view of the Mexican government why they would be putting Mexican nationals on the table, and they make the argument that we have a 2,000 mile border, so this is where the debate ought to start.

But it is also true that once the negotiations have concluded and the presidents have made whatever announcements they were going to make, this process is going to go to the Congress. And when it gets there, I think you can expect that the arguments will get broadened. And that, from a point of view of an employer, a restaurant, a hotel, someplace where these folks are working and contributing, it doesn't make so much sense to just single out folks from one country and say, well, you guys are contributing, and so we're going to give you the opportunity to legalize, when folks who are working side by side with them but happen to be from other countries don't have the same opportunity.

So, I think you're going to see that there's widespread support for broadening the issue out, and that ultimately is really in our best interests.

FRAZIER: We are just about out of time. Let me ask you both, starting with you, Ms. Munoz, to give me a sort of a 20-second headline about your reaction to the plan.

MUNOZ: I think this could really -- if they get the details right -- and the details matter -- really reshape the image of the Republican Party with Latino and immigrant voters.

FRAZIER: Mr. Papademetriou.

PAPADEMETRIOU: I'm going to stick with public policy.

The Bush administration has an opportunity to try to address prospectively the issue of unauthorized migration between the United States and Mexico and other countries in a way that I suspect two or three or four years from now other countries that have similar kinds of issues -- such as Spain and Morocco, Germany and Poland and people trying to come into the European Union through the East and other dyads of countries can really take a page out of Mrs. Bush -- Mr. Bush's book and try to address their long-term issues with unauthorized migration in a similar way.

FRAZIER: Thank you both, Mr. Papademetriou, Ms. Munoz, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com