Bush acknowledges lawmakers' concern on immigration,U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday acknowledged lawmakers' doubts about a U.S. immigration proposal, but argued it will help resolve the status of 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.
With the proposal taking fire from both Republicans and Democrats, the Senate is expected to begin debate on immigration next week.
Bush used his weekly radio address to open what is likely to be an intense effort to persuade Americans to support the plan as the answer to long-simmering U.S. immigration problems.
"It will help us resolve the status of millions of illegal immigrants who are here already, without animosity and without amnesty," said Bush, who is spending the weekend at his Texas ranch.
The president, in need of a victory to brighten a second term dominated by the chaos in Iraq, wants to resolve the immigration battle before it gets swept up by the presidential campaign to replace him in 2008.
The immigration deal was reached on Thursday between U.S. senators and backed by both Bush and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) of Nevada.
The legislation will have to navigate some perilous shoals if it is to become law.
Conservative Republicans fear it would lead to an amnesty for illegal immigrants who they say are already weighing heavily on America's social fabric.
At the same time, many Democrats think the elements of the worker program are too tough on immigrants. Labor unions fear the deal will drive down wages.
STRONG WORDS IN NEGOTIATING ROOM
"I realize that many hold strong convictions on this issue, and reaching an agreement was not easy," Bush said.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) got into a shouting match with Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn (news, bio, voting record) in the final negotiations that led to the deal.
The Post, citing several unnamed Republican and Democratic sources, said words were exchanged when Cornyn voiced concerns about the number of judicial appeals that illegal immigrants could receive, and that it got really heated when Cornyn accused McCain of being too busy running for president to take part in the immigration negotiations.
"Wait a second here," Cornyn said to McCain, according to The Post. "I've been sitting in here for all of these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You're out of line."
McCain was said to have used an expletive and shouted at Cornyn, "I know more about this than anyone else in the room."
McCain's presidential campaign spokesman Brian Jones denied his boss claimed to know more about the bill, but acknowledged to the Post that "there was a spirited exchange" amid the tense negotiations.
The Republican president sought to reassure conservatives who stymied an immigration push last year by fighting for tougher border security measures.
He said the immigration proposal would require that strong border security and enforcement benchmarks - such as doubling the number of Border Patrol agents on the U.S.-Mexico border -- are met before the temporary worker program and other pieces of the legislation would be implemented.
In another move aimed at conservatives, the White House circulated a "Myth/Fact" document seeking to answer critics who contend the agreement amounts to a reward for the thousands who sneaked into the United States.
Major provisions of the immigration deal
Major provisions of the bipartisan immigration compromise:
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CURRENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
_They could come forward immediately and receive probationary legal status.
_Bill creates a four-year, renewable "Z" visa for those present within the U.S. unlawfully before Jan. 1, 2007.
_Undocumented immigrants may adjust status to lawful permanent residence once they pay $5,000 in fees and fines and their head of household returns to their home country.
_People under age 30 who were brought to the U.S. as minors could receive their green cards after three years, rather than eight.
_Undocumented farmworkers who can demonstrate they have worked 150 hours or three years in agriculture can apply for green cards.
_No green cards for "Z" visa holders can be processed until "triggers" for border security and workplace enforcement have been met, estimated to take 18 months. Processing of green cards for holders of "Z" visas would begin after clearing an existing backlog, which is expected to take eight years.
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BORDER SECURITY
_Hire 18,000 new border patrol agents.
_Erect 200 miles of vehicle barriers and 370 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.
_Erect 70 ground-based radar and camera towers along the southern border.
_Deploy four unmanned aerial vehicles and supporting systems.
_End the program in which illegal immigrants are released upon apprehension.
_Provide for detaining up to 27,500 aliens per day on an annual basis.
_Use secure and effective identification tools to prevent unauthorized work.
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WORKPLACE ENFORCEMENT
_Require employers to electronically verify new employees to prove identity and work eligibility.
_Increase penalties for unlawful hiring, employment and record keeping violations.
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GUEST WORKERS (requires border security measures to be in place first)
_Create a new temporary guest worker program with two-year "Y visas," initially capped at 400,000 per year with annual adjustments based on market fluctuations
_Workers could renew the Y visa up to three times, but would be required to return home for a year in between each time. Those bringing dependents could obtain only one, nonrenewable two-year visa.
_Families could accompany guest workers only if they could show proof of medical insurance and demonstrate that their wages were 150 percent above the poverty level.
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FUTURE IMMIGRANTS
_Spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents would be eligible for green cards based purely on their family connections, but other relatives such as adult children and siblings would not.
_380,000 visas a year would be awarded based on a point system, with about 50 percent based on employment criteria, 25 percent based on education, 15 percent on English proficiency and 10 percent on family connections.
_Apply new limits to U.S. citizens seeking to bring foreign-born parents into the country.
_Visas for parents of U.S. citizens would be capped annually at 40,000 and those for spouses and children at 87,000.
