Bush says he'll keep pushing for more lenient immigration laws BY RON HUTCHESON Knight Ridder Newspapers
WACO, Texas - (KRT) - President Bush told Mexican President Vicente Fox on Wednesday that he would keep pushing for more lenient immigration laws, but said he couldn't guarantee that Congress would go along.
Bush renewed his commitment to a guest-worker program during a daylong summit with Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. The leaders pledged to work together on a host of issues, but they acknowledged some of the differences that have strained relations in the past.
Bush's failure to win congressional approval for more lenient immigration laws has been a sore point with Fox.
"You've got my pledge - I'll continue working on it," Bush told Fox during a joint news conference here at Baylor University. "You don't have my pledge that Congress will act because I'm not a member of the legislative branch."
Bush's guest-worker plan would let several million immigrants who are in the country illegally become legal by getting temporary work visas. The idea has stalled in Congress because of opposition from both parties.
Some Republicans oppose Bush's call for more open borders. Some Democrats think Bush is more concerned about providing cheap labor for businesses than he is about making life easier for foreign workers.
A study released earlier this week concluded that the illegal immigrant population has reached an all-time high of nearly 11 million. The study by the Pew Hispanic Center, a private research group based in Washington, also found that undocumented Mexicans accounted for 57 percent of all illegal entrants.
Bush said his goal is to match workers with jobs.
"That job ought to be filled on a legal basis, no matter where the person comes from. That makes sense," Bush said. The president also echoed Fox's criticism of citizen groups in border states that seek to catch and detain illegal immigrants entering the United States.
"I'm against vigilantes," Bush said. "That's why you got a border patrol, and they ought to be in charge of enforcing the border."
After their news conference, Fox and Martin joined Bush at his 1,600-acre ranch in nearby Crawford. Taking advantage of a beautiful spring day, the president took his guests on a tour of the property and then hosted a luncheon of grilled chicken breasts and fried shrimp, followed by chocolate chip brownies with vanilla ice cream.
In a joint statement, the three leaders announced the creation of a "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America," which is intended to encourage cooperation on problems ranging from terrorism to traffic jams at border crossings.
As part of the effort, officials from the three governments will work together over the next three months to come up with steps to improve security, commerce and the quality of life throughout North America.
But for all the talk of cooperation, Bush and his guests remained apart on some issues. Martin flatly ruled out Canadian participation in Bush's plan for a missile defense system for North America, telling a Canadian journalist that "the file is closed" on that issue.
Martin also prodded Bush to ease U.S. import restrictions on Canadian lumber and Canadian beef. Some Canadian lumber is subject to trade duties, and beef imports have been banned because of concerns about mad-cow disease.
"Look, we've got differences," Bush said. "I understand why people disagree with certain decisions I have made, but that doesn't prevent us from cooperating."
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© 2005, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.