Bush talks tough on immigration laws

WASHINGTON — Caught between business supporters who need foreign workers and conservatives clamoring for a clampdown on illegal immigration, President Bush tried on Saturday to give his temporary guest worker plan a nudge by promising strong enforcement.

"A critical part of any temporary worker program is ensuring that our immigration laws are enforced at work sites," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "America is a country of laws — we must not allow dishonest employers to flout those laws."

The president last year introduced a plan that would allow undocumented workers to obtain three-year work visas. They could extend that for another three years but would then have to return to their home countries for a year to apply for a new work permit.

But the conservative Republicans are insisting on taking up the issue of increased enforcement first. They prefer to put off the debate on the complex issues of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States and the economy's need for low-skilled labor for jobs that Bush says many Americans don't want.

Some conservatives also fear that Bush's plan would give amnesty to undocumented workers, a point the White House disputes.

In the broadcast, the president touted a $32 billion bill for the Department of Homeland Security as proof that the enforcement issue is already being addressed.

He highlighted the $2.3 billion it contains to help hire 1,000 new Border Patrol agents, improve technology and install barriers such as fencing and lighting; and the bill's $3.7 billion for enforcement, including expanding detention facilities by 10 percent so that fewer non-Mexican illegal immigrants are simply released.

"Our goal is to return every single illegal entrant, with no exceptions," Bush said.

But, he argued, getting tough on illegal entrants must be accompanied by "comprehensive immigration reform" that includes his guest worker program. Such a program will provide for the country's labor needs without taking jobs away from Americans and will also relieve pressure on the borders, he said.

"If an employer has a job that no American is willing to take, we need to find a way to fill that demand," the president said.

The radio address was Bush's second speech of the week on the topic. He delivered nearly the same remarks Tuesday when signing the homeland security legislation.