From the January 2005 Idaho Observer:

109^th Congress expected to grant illegal Mexican amnesty this session

Lawmakers plan incremental passage of president’s unpopular desire to

pardon aliens’ immigration crimes and grant them citizenship

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Soon after taking office in 2001, President Bush announced his desire to grant amnesty to an estimated 12 million Mexican nationals who have illegally taken up residence in the U.S. The announcement triggered a sudden spike in numbers of undocumented Mexicans crossing the border illegally, fueling citizen opposition to the plan.

Political patience has paid off and the president currently enjoys bipartisan Congressional support for the amnesty plan. To minimize the groundswell of popular opposition a declaration of blanket amnesty would create, Congress will likely grant President Bush’s wishes—incrementally.

"In the coming weeks, it is expected that liberal and moderate GOP members of Congress, along with many Democrats, will try to push through the House and Senate the White House’s ‘Temporary Work Program (TWP)’ — a disastrous proposal that, if enacted, will grant a three-year amnesty to over 10 million illegal aliens and also reward these lawbreakers with a path to permanent residency and citizenship," commented Citizens Lobby Executive Director Scott Lauf.

Lauf and his group have been monitoring the amnesty plan since it was announced and has conducted an aggressive information campaign intended to kill the plan through legislators on Capitol Hill voting "no" on amnesty-related bills due to vocal constituency opposition.

Various polls over the last few years consistently show that a significant majority of Americans are against amnesty. Unfortunately, powerful lobbies and powerful politicians do favor granting amnesty to illegal Mexican immigrants.

The push to pass the TWP is supported by the well-funded pro-illegal alien lobby which, according to Lauf, constitutes over 400 left-wing and radical pro-immigration organizations. "In addition, the foreign influence of the Mexican government (and numerous wealthy "corporate" interests that crave cheap labor) will be pushing amnesty as well," Lauf explained.

The only Capitol Hill opposition to amnesty is being led by Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and his 71-member Immigration Reform Caucus. Tancredo admits that, at this time, he has not been able to amass enough Congressional support to defeat any proposed amnesty bill.

Lauf predicts that the Temporary Work Program will likely cause other problems such as further compromises to U.S. national security. "This program would also allow hundreds of thousands of new foreign workers to enter our country and provide a new incentive for would-be illegal aliens—and even terrorists—to sneak into the U.S," he said.

For more information on the amnesty topic and how to be an effective component of the grassroots effort to defeat the amnesty agenda, go to www.citizenslobby.com. You may also write Citizens Lobby at 2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #649, Washington, DC 20006. Donations gladly accepted and encouraged.

Official Mexican response to comic book hints at inevitable passage of amnesty plan

The Mexican Foreign Ministry acknowledges that last December it published a comic book showing potential immigrants how to cross the border and quietly live in the U.S. without getting caught.

The Mexican government, however, denies charges that the book is a how-to manual for illegal immigration.

Ministry spokesman Geronimo Guiterrez claims that the book was intended to save lives, not encourage illegal immigration. "Last year over 300 Mexicans died in their attempt to enter the United States in search of a job and the government has the obligation to avoid that," Reuters quoted Guiterrez as stating.

"The guide clearly states that the safe and appropriate way to enter any country is with a valid passport and a visa, and in no way promotes undocumented immigration," Guiterrez added.

One-and-a-half million of the 32-page, full-color comic books have already been distributed, primarily in central Mexican states that have high immigration rates. The book reportedly advises readers to wear light clothing for the swim across the Rio Grande and to avoid dehydrating in the desert by salting their water.

The booklet also describes how to avoid being caught by U.S. authorities once they make it to America and, if they do get caught, how to exercise their rights to legal representation and medical attention.

Gutierrez concluded by stating that the booklet sets out "the rights that any Mexican has regardless of their migratory status, based on United States and international law."

The White House has not commented on the comic book—a tacit admission that it has no objection to the publication’s contents.

See Jose Work

Why do you think Republicans and Democrats alike, contrary to the majority of their citizen constituents, favor amnesty for illegals? Is it because they are actively conspiring with one another to destabilize our country to help usher in a New World Order—or is it something else?

Prior to reading the article below, the former seemed most likely. Considering that Congress changes direction with every election infers that elected legislators have no vision and no plan beyond what is directly in front of them; their only concern is keeping the ship from sinking on their watch.

To believe members of Congress are capable of conspiring to promote a flood of illegal immigration to destroy our nation over time is, perhaps, giving them more credit than they deserve.

What if amnesty is their short-sighted plan to save the nation?

by Jerry Askeroth

"They’re taking our jobs. Their new-born babies are automatic U.S. citizens. They crowd our hospitals and fill our prisons."

You’ve heard it all on talk radio and in conversations with friends. When the discussions get around to the illegal immigration question, the consensus is to send them all back and seal the borders.

Most Americans believe the flood of immigrants is destroying the nation’s economy, as well as corrupting our institutions and culture, but it just isn’t so.

Rather than being a drag on the economy, the burgeoning population of working immigrants provides a steady, positive thrust to business activity. These people quickly fill low-level jobs and have a work ethic that impresses most employers.

They do their jobs, pay income and PICA taxes, save a little, and purchase goods and services.

The major political parties stealthily support what is happening for reasons that are patriotic, political and selfish. To be sure, Democrats like the flood of immigrants because newcomers tend to vote for Democrats. Republicans—entrepreneurs and CEO types—favor it because of the cheap labor made available. The politicians are thinking of what’s best for their country too—it’s a fiscal thing.

The new immigrants produce fabulous results. They do find employment and enroll in the Social Security system. Without this influx of new blood, the system would collapse because it is top heavy in the ratio of retirees to those working. Our nation’s birth rate is declining—high divorce rates, abortions, working wives—so the burden is mounting on the working contributors in the system. We need an ever-growing work force.

Moreover, the nation’s economy is driven by demand for consumer goods and services. If some 20 million illegal immigrants went back home manana, we would have a depression in a Tijuana minute. Their significant production would be lost as would rent payments, furniture sales, food purchases, car payments, and all the rest. The economy would go south with them.

Our elected leaders are mum about it, but there is little doubt that those with power and influence in Washington understand the hard truth.

See Jose sneak across the border. See Jose work hard. See Jose pay into the Social Security fund. He’s an outlaw, but a precious one. Jose is important on the home front too. A family man, and more religious than most of us, he is more like we used to be than we are. He thinks conservative, although he votes liberal.

Congress is allowing 900,000 legal immigrants into the country annually. That equals a new major city each year—and it doesn’t count the illegals. With our pillaged and upside-down Social Security program, plus our debt-based monetary system as carried on by the Federal Reserve, our nation needs a steady growth of capital and labor just to maintain the status quo. Heavy immigration helps!

Take an immigrant to lunch, and give a wink and a nod to your elected representatives.

What is really behind the Bush amnesty plan?

by Don Harkins

In early spring, 2001, newly-elected President Bush announced his intention to grant amnesty to an estimated 7 million illegal Mexican immigrants. The announcement prompted immediate and overwhelming opposition—and a flood of illegal immigration.

Today the estimated numbers of Mexicans currently living illegally in the U.S. ranges between 12 million and 30 million.

It is expected that 3 million Mexicans will criminally cross the border this year. Critics claim the promise of amnesty is encouraging what can best be described as an exodus of Mexicans leaving their homeland to resettle in the U.S.

Polls that have been taken by FOX, Zogby and others show that 60 percent to 90 percent of Americans oppose amnesty; even Hispanic Americans are divided on the issue with about 50 percent in favor of amnesty and 50 percent against it.

An informal survey of newspaper articles and editorials (in hardcopy and posted to the Internet), reveal that, for every one article published favoring amnesty, at least 100 oppose it.

Plodding forward

One can safely say that, absent from the national debate are amnesty proponents and their arguments in favor of this major development in North American relations. Even President Bush, the alleged father of amnesty, has very little to say in defense of "his" plan. "We need to have an immigration policy that helps match any willing employer with any willing employee," the president said in a recent news conference as the 109^th Congress convened.

Critics of amnesty argue that the plan will be culturally and economically disastrous: Entitlement programs and public health budgets will exceed their limits, American workers will be displaced and schools will be forced to teach bilingually; illegal drug trafficking, gang violence/racial tension and prison populations will increase along with the need for more police and courts to administrate the growing problems.

All President Bush has said in response to these compelling arguments is, "It makes sense that that policy go forward. And we’re in the process of working that through now so I can make a recommendation to the Congress."

"Free" trade

History tells us that the parliamentary outcome of unpopular legislation is a foregone conclusion when those in favor of it do not bother with publicly defending their position against well-informed detractors.

The North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade were both hotly criticized as bad for America by a full spectrum of liberal and conservative editors, groups and concerned citizens. Their concerns that "free trade" would force American workers to compete with third world laborers and drive downward the American standard of living, encourage American companies to close their domestic operations and open production facilities elsewhere were not only compelling at the time but have now proven to be justified.

Free trade proponents signed these agreements without really acknowledging, much

less formally debating, the people’s arguments. The only justification offered by Capitol Hill Republicans and Democrats was that free trade will be good for business.

Amnesty (again)

In 1986 "blanket" amnesty was granted to 2 million undocumented Mexican aliens living illegally in the U.S. Rather than solve a problem, the move paved a superhighway of illegal immigration and, arguably, created the problems we are facing now.

Amnesty is now on the legislative fast track because he wants a bill signed in advance of his planned attendance at the Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, this coming February. To get a bill signed in time, the president maintains that he does not favor "blanket" amnesty. He endorses a "temporary work program (TWP)" giving about 10 million illegals a three-year amnesty. Critics claim President Bush’s TWP is a ruse intended to fool the public into supporting a plan that, by any other name, is still blanket amnesty.

Lame duck Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge approves giving legal status to illegal Mexican immigrants. At a press conference in Miami, Secretary Ridge said: "The bottom line is, as a country we have to come to grips with the presence of 8 to 12 million illegals, afford them some kind of legal status some way, but also as a country decide what our immigration policy is and then enforce it."

The justification for the 1986 amnesty was to "afford" legal status for illegals and then enforce an intelligent immigration policy.

The Bush administration has not revealed an immigration policy reform plan at this time.