September 20, 2002

Bush Beyond Help On Immigration

Late in August, I got a letter from the President of the U.S. telling me to drop dead.

George W. Bush, apparently under the misconception that he doesn’t need every single possible vote, sent letters to thousands of citizens letting them know that he has no intention of taking seriously their concerns about out of control immigration.

Since over 65% of Americans favor immediate, radical changes in our immigration policies, you have to scratch you head about Bush’s strategy.

To run salt in my wounds, Bush’s letter was postmarked Crawford, TX and written on embossed 100% cotton Crane’s stationery. I could have done without the reminder that our leader was in the midst of a month long vacation and that all his perks are high-end.

Via NumbersUSA.com, I had faxed Bush telling him that I was unalterably opposed to amnesty for illegal aliens in any form.

I told him that California is under siege from immigration and we cannot educate our children, tend to our sick or house our needy because of the non-stop influx of illegal aliens.

In his response of August 22, Bush wrote:

“One of America’s greatest strengths is its diverse population.”

He reminded me,

“Our Nation was founded by citizens from many countries who brought with them their vibrant cultures, histories and traditions.”

Of course, the last Great Wave of diverse immigration got underway when William McKinley was president and before Henry Ford invented the automobile. Things might have changed since then. But why bring it up? Earlier, the United States was, in reality, founded almost exclusively by people more or less like George W. Bush…physically, if not morally.

But the important thing, according to Bush, is that

“We be responsive to those seeking to immigrate to this country and to those who have immigrated and seek citizenship.”

Finally, Bush wrote that he would

“…continue to work with Congress to ensure the passage of Section 245(i) which will allow qualified immigrants, eligible to become legal residents to obtain residency in the United States without being forced to leave the country and their families.”

This is the final insult. Those who would benefit from 245(i) are not “qualified immigrants” but illegal aliens. And to couch his motives as being in the best interests of “families” is nauseating.

How is it possible that Bush has the political acumen to rise to the presidency - but is so clueless about how to get re-elected?

What neither Bush nor Karl Rove can fathom is that on immigration the administration might not be able to have its cake and eat it, too.

If I were advising Bush, I would tell him that he has alienated a huge number of Republican voters with his inexplicable immigration infatuation.

I’d point out to Bush that immigration legislation has so many egregious programs that if he put his influence to work eliminating the worst of them -- namely the Fiancée Visa, the Diversity Visa and automatic birthright citizenship—he might be able to regain some of the good will he has lost.

Bush would encounter resistance on birthright citizenship since that is a gravy train for Mexicans entering the U.S. illegally. But no intelligent objections can be made to ending the fiancée or the diversity visas.

The fiancée visa benefits some individuals who can’t get dates, immigration lawyers and female residents of overseas countries who don’t mind trading their bodies for green cards. Naturalized U.S. citizens born in third world countries use the visa, also. They return to their native villages to bring their second cousin to America for marriage.

There is no logical reason to continue the program.

Equally idiotic but infinitely more dangerous is the diversity visa. Every year thousands of diversity lottery winners come to the U.S. from countries with terrorist ties like Sudan and Syria. This summer Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, who benefited indirectly from the diversity lottery, shot and killed two people at the Los Angeles International Airport. Hadayet was in the U.S. because 1) his wife is a lottery winner and 2) when she became a U.S. citizen, he qualified for a green card under 245(i).

Howard Southerland wrote about birth right citizenship—with all of its follies and perils—in VDARE.COM on August 29.

Ending the practice of granting automatic citizenship to any baby born in the US—regardless of how or why the mother finds herself in the US—would bring out the crying towels.

But Bush should pause and think about the hundreds of thousands of votes he would win by ending this widely unpopular loophole.

Great Britain and Australia came to their senses on birthright citizenship after decades of abuse.

The U.S. should, too.

Unfortunately, my jolly scenario is wishful thinking. Bush has no intention of throwing us even the smallest bone.

The tone in Bush’s letter toward the immigration reform movement is crystal clear: in your face!

Joe Guzzardi [email him], an instructor in English at the Lodi Adult School, has been writing a weekly newspaper column since 1988. This column is exclusive to VDARE.COM.