Conservative Rep. Charlie Norwood (R.-Ga.) took a close look at President Bush's new budget and discovered it included what he calls "a very subtle illegal guest worker plan."
By pushing back the deployment of significant numbers of new Border Patrol agents, and pushing off the date when real border fencing will be erected, the Bush proposal, Norwood says, would allow a million new illegal aliens to enter the country each year for four years.
"That is the equivalent to the population of South Carolina or Oregon," said Norwood in a February 16 floor speech. "Think about that. We are being asked to add a 51st state populated entirely by low-income illegal aliens. I cannot find an excuse for this."
Citing the success of the Minuteman Project in securing sections of the Mexican border simply by placing 18 to 24 unarmed personnel per mile, Norwood calculates the entire border could be secured by the deployment of 36,000 to 48,000 troops. That would cost about $2.5 billion a year, he said, which "is less than 4% of the minimum $70 billion a year we are currently spending covering the health care, education and the different costs for illegals."
When President Bush can turn his attention away from promoting the UAE's takeover of U.S. port operations, he might take a moment to consider Norwood's deployment.
