The battle over illegal aliens and homeland security is heating up in the nation's capital, as President Bush is being challenged by fellow Republicans on the best course of action.Meanwhile, in Congress...
The president continues his effort to grant illegal aliens guest-worker status, while a leading member of his own party has introduced a get-tough crackdown dealing with driver's licenses, political asylum, deportation and border security.
"I know there's a compassionate, humane way to deal with this issue," Bush said at a White House news conference.
"I want to remind people that family values do not stop at the Rio Grande River. People are coming to our country to do jobs that Americans won't do, to be able to feed their families. And I think there's a humane way to recognize that, at the same time protect our borders, and at the same way to make sure that we don't disadvantage those who have stood in line for years to become a legal citizen. And I'm looking forward to working with people of both parties on the issue."
The Real ID Act, introduced by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., looks to deny drivers licenses to illegal aliens, tighten the political asylum system abused by terrorists, plug a three-mile hole in the border fence between California and Mexico near San Diego, and strengthen deportation laws to more quickly oust foreign terrorists dwelling in the U.S.I'm with Congress on this one... Mr. President, yes, values don't stop at the Rio Grande, but apparently there is no respect for our sovereignty and law resides on the other side of the river. The government of Mexico has produced and distributed an invasion document informing it's citizenry of the best methods of crossing the border illegally, avoiding detection, and sending the cashola back for the Mexican economy. This is homeland security we're talking about here, not some touchy feely values issue.
"American citizens have the right to know who is in their country, that people are who they say they are, and that the name on a driver's license is the holder's real name, not some alias," said Sensenbrenner, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee.
"The 9-11 hijackers could have used their passports to board the planes, but only one did. Why? Those murderers chose our driver's licenses and state IDs as their forms of identification because these documents allowed them to blend in and not raise suspicion or concern. Mohammed Atta received a six-month visa to stay in the U.S. yet received a Florida driver's license good for six years!"
Mr. President, build that wall.
