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American Morning
Immigration Change
Aired January 08, 2004 - 07:08 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The immigration plan the president proposed yesterday came under fire immediately from both the right and the left, but that does not seem to be where the president is aiming on this issue. In this election year, the White House may have the sights set on the middle.
John King live from the White House, our senior White House correspondent.
John -- good morning to you.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
The White House insists, No. 1, this is good policy. But you're absolutely right. The president is hoping to increase the 35 percent of the Hispanic vote he won in the last election; also hoping to reach out to voters in the middle, who remember Bush campaigning in Campaign 2000 as a compassionate conservative.
But the immigration proposal is controversial from the outset. Here are some of the details of what the president did propose yesterday. He wants Congress to create this new three-year temporary worker program, three-year temporary visas to match prospective employees -- immigrants right now -- with unfilled jobs here in the United States.
But this is the controversial part: The president also says the 8 to 10 million illegal immigrants already in the United States should qualify for those visas, if they can prove they already have a job and if they're willing to pay a regulation fee.
Now, the president insists this is not amnesty for illegal behavior. He says that's because those three-year visas would be temporary, renewable perhaps once or twice for six or nine years total, but the workers then would be expected to return to their country of origin unless they qualified for permanent residency or a green card in the meantime.
Now, the president says this meets an economic need of this country -- workers for low-wage jobs that are going unfilled right now. And he also says it is the compassionate thing to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs that Americans are not filling.
(APPLAUSE)
We must make our immigration laws more rational and more humane, and I believe we can do so without jeopardizing the livelihoods of American citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, the Democrats, of course, want to court the Hispanic vote as well, and they say this is an election year gimmick from the president that falls too short. They say the president needs a much more aggressive proposal to give permanent status to most of those in the United States illegally now, again so long as they can prove they have a job.
So, criticism from the Democrats, a bidding war even, if you will, on the stakes of this. But, Bill, this morning the concern the White House should have, perhaps most of all, is the reaction late last night from the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, a key conservative voice. He says he's worried about some elements of the president's plan that he believes -- quote -- "reward illegal behavior" -- Bill.
HEMMER: John, thanks -- John King on the Front Lawn.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired January 8, 2004 - 07:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The immigration plan the president proposed yesterday came under fire immediately from both the right and the left, but that does not seem to be where the president is aiming on this issue. In this election year, the White House may have the sights set on the middle.
John King live from the White House, our senior White House correspondent.
John -- good morning to you.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
The White House insists, No. 1, this is good policy. But you're absolutely right. The president is hoping to increase the 35 percent of the Hispanic vote he won in the last election; also hoping to reach out to voters in the middle, who remember Bush campaigning in Campaign 2000 as a compassionate conservative.
But the immigration proposal is controversial from the outset. Here are some of the details of what the president did propose yesterday. He wants Congress to create this new three-year temporary worker program, three-year temporary visas to match prospective employees -- immigrants right now -- with unfilled jobs here in the United States.
But this is the controversial part: The president also says the 8 to 10 million illegal immigrants already in the United States should qualify for those visas, if they can prove they already have a job and if they're willing to pay a regulation fee.
Now, the president insists this is not amnesty for illegal behavior. He says that's because those three-year visas would be temporary, renewable perhaps once or twice for six or nine years total, but the workers then would be expected to return to their country of origin unless they qualified for permanent residency or a green card in the meantime.
Now, the president says this meets an economic need of this country -- workers for low-wage jobs that are going unfilled right now. And he also says it is the compassionate thing to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs that Americans are not filling.
(APPLAUSE)
We must make our immigration laws more rational and more humane, and I believe we can do so without jeopardizing the livelihoods of American citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, the Democrats, of course, want to court the Hispanic vote as well, and they say this is an election year gimmick from the president that falls too short. They say the president needs a much more aggressive proposal to give permanent status to most of those in the United States illegally now, again so long as they can prove they have a job.
So, criticism from the Democrats, a bidding war even, if you will, on the stakes of this. But, Bill, this morning the concern the White House should have, perhaps most of all, is the reaction late last night from the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, a key conservative voice. He says he's worried about some elements of the president's plan that he believes -- quote -- "reward illegal behavior" -- Bill.
HEMMER: John, thanks -- John King on the Front Lawn.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
