Bush Administration Plans Push for Illegals WASHINGTON - The White House is planning a new push to change the nation’s immigration laws, looking in part for businesses to lobby Congress to pass measures that give more foreign-born workers legal status while also toughening lax enforcement.
But the conflicting interests of President Bush’s big-business supporters, who believe the economy needs more workers, and Republican Party conservatives - many of whom have made a top priority of clamping down on illegal immigration in the name of national security - threaten the prospects for a quick deal.
The White House and its allies are looking to businesses for help in selling and supporting a new immigration policy, including funds to pay for a television advertising blitz. Bush allies are organizing a group called Americans for Border and Economic Security to run a public media campaign. The group is being organized by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie.
The importance for Bush’s business backers of a revised approach to national immigration policy was underscored again over the weekend, when officials announced they were no longer accepting applications for U.S. visas for high-tech and skilled workers for 2006.
That’s because the year’s quota of applications has been met already - a month earlier than last year. The so-called H-1B visas are particularly important for companies needing white-collar workers with specialized skills, but Congress in recent years has generally held to a tight limit of 65,000 or so H-1B permits annually.
In recent weeks, White House staffers have met repeatedly with potential supporters among business and conservative groups to consult on President Bush’s emerging legislative strategy. Based on the briefings so far, Bush’s principles echo a set of proposals he made in January 2004 focusing on a sweeping new guest-worker program. For instance, Bush’s advisers say they want a solution that is "comprehensive" - meaning it includes rule changes to ensure an adequate future flow of workers, according to immigration experts.
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