Signing the Homeland Security appropriations bill this week, President Bush often sounded like Rep. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.), chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus.
??¢â???¬?????[Homeland] Secretary [Michael] Cherthoff told the Senate earlier this morning our goal is clear: to return every single illegal entrant with no exception,??¢â???¬ Bush said. Then he outlined the immigration-enforcement measures put into the bill at the insistence of border-security hawks in Congress: new Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and new detention beds to hold illegal immigrants awaiting deportation. Finally, he pitched his plan for converting illegal aliens into ??¢â???¬?????guest workers??¢â???¬ by ??¢â???¬?????matching willing employers with willing workers from foreign countries on a temporary legal basis.??¢â???¬ Bottom line: Bush??¢â???¬â???¢s next major domestic policy initiative is likely to be a push for an illegal-alien amnesty.
