Bush supports illegal immigration

Members from the US House of Representatives and Senate are beginning to meet so that they may discuss how to combine the bills passed by each chamber regarding the implementation of various homeland security measures, most of which come from the 9/11 commission's report. The House bill contains language which gives the federal government additional authority to deport illegal aliens and curtail benefits or advantages currently being given to those here illegally who are seeking assistance. In other words, the House wants to punish those who have broken US laws. According to today's Washington Times, President Bush disagrees. He is calling for the tougher immigration laws to be stricken from the new legislation. According to theTimes:

At issue are sections 3007 and 3008 of the House bill. Human Rights First, a New York-based advocacy group, says section 3007 would allow immigration enforcement officers to deport, without a hearing, any noncitizen who entered the United States illegally and has been in the country less than five years.

Section 3008 expands the government's reasons for denying asylum. Citing refugees who often are forced to flee their countries under austere conditions — such as those from the Darfur region of Sudan, Human Rights First argues that the section "would allow an otherwise credible asylum-seeker to be denied asylum if he cannot provide corroborating documents that an adjudicator thinks he should be able to submit."

The administration "strongly opposes" section 3007 and "has concerns about" section 3008, according to the White House letter to Congress.

It continues to baffle me how the United States can continue to contend that it is engaged in a global War against Terrorism (islamo-fascism) while our borders at home remain unguarded. This simply fails the smell test. The appearance of failure in Iraq combined with the immigration issue may very well be what costs Bush the election, and surely will be what prevents a landslide.

The Hill magazine weighs in here on this issue.