Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems

Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems - www.kevindayhoff.com Address: PO Box 124, Westminster MD 21158 410-259-6403 kevindayhoff@gmail.com Runner, writer, artist, fire & police chaplain Mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist & artist: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, technology, music, culture, opera... National & International politics www.kevindayhoff.net For community: www.kevindayhoff.org For art, technology, writing, & travel: www.kevindayhoff.com

Showing posts with label Immigration Reform. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Immigration Reform. Show all posts

Monday, November 22, 2010

Kevin Dayhoff: On the frontline of the immigration debate in Phoenix AZ shar.es/XaJkN

Kevin Dayhoff: On the frontline of the immigration debate in Phoenix AZ shar.es/XaJkN


Explore Carroll: By Kevin Dayhoff I was in Phoenix, Ariz., last week for a reporters'...  […]  When he's not gawking at the Grand Canyon

I was in Phoenix, Ariz., last week for a reporters' conference, Capitolbeat, and the ironies were in abundance...

It was on the date of my visit, Nov. 12, 1954, that Ellis Island, the gateway to the United States and the symbol of American the immigrant experience, closed after more than 12 million immigrants passed through its gates since opening in 1892...

It should be noted that Congress hasn't formally acted on the issue since the last immigration reform measures were passed in 1986 -- a point not lost on New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson when he addressed the Capitolbeat conference....


Related:

November 18, 2010
Kevin E. Dayhoff
The new Congress may have a better chance at enacting comprehensive immigration reform than the Democrat-controlled Congress of the last two-years and since the election of President Barack Obama…  http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=4064

November 17, 2010
Kevin E. Dayhoff
“I’m glad you are not boycotting Arizona,” observed New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson last Saturday at a breakfast presentation at the Capitolbeat statehouse reporters’ annual conference in downtown Phoenix, AZ  http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=4058

20101121 sdosm SCE Wish you were here





Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/) http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/

Recent articles in Explore Carroll by Kevin Dayhoff


Recent articles in Explore Carroll by Kevin Dayhoff



Published November 21, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle
... ;You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." When he's not gawking at the Grand Canyon, Kevin Dayhoff

Published November 14, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
... with everything. When he's not at the lunch counter, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at kevindayhoff@gmail.com.Dayhoff on Twitter"/> Follow Kevin Dayhoff on ... ...

Published November 7, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
Phil Grout, an award-winning photojournalist, fine art photographer appeared for the opening of a retrospective show of his work at Birdie's Cafe Gallery in Westminster, this evening.The show titled “44/40,” spans over four decades of Grout's work, from ... ...

Published November 7, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle
... the community. Schaeffer is among them. We owe him, and these individuals, a debt of thanks for the quality of life we enjoy today. When he's not reminiscing nostalgically about days long gone by,

Published November 3, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
... she was the top vote-getter, with 23 percent of the vote, while Bauer and Shreeve had about 22 percent each. Kevin E. Dayhoff contributed to this story.General Election Results Amounts shown were still unofficial as of Thursday, Nov. 4 (Leaders in bold): ... ...

Published November 2, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle
.Dayhoff on Twitter"/> Follow Kevin Dayhoff on Twitter...

Published November 2, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
Today is election day in Carroll County, but voters can also vote with their stomachs — or at least help others do that — by donating cans of food for the hungry at the polls.Martin Radinsky, Frank Baylor, Kelly Buie, Bob Mitchell, David and Laura O’ ... ...

Published October 31, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
... interest from date. "Free lunch at noon." When Kevin Dayhoff is not listening to NPR on WAMU, he may be reached ... badges.s3.amazonaws.com/t_small-a.png" alt="Follow Kevin Dayhoff on Twitter"/> Follow Kevin Dayhoff on ... ...

Published October 26, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
Early voting for the Maryland general election began last week at the Westminster Senior Center, 135 Stoner Ave., and continues through this Thursday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.The pace was brisk in Westminster last week, but by Saturday ... ...

Published October 24, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
... hours for any student wishing to volunteer their time. When Kevin Dayhoff is not out looking for marinated asparagus spears, or a hot ... .s3.amazonaws.com/t_small-a.png" alt="Follow KevinDayhoff on Twitter"/> Follow Kevin Dayhoff ... ...

Published November 7, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
Phil Grout, an award-winning photojournalist, fine art photographer appeared for the opening of a retrospective show of his work at Birdie's Cafe Gallery in Westminster, this evening.The show titled “44/40,” spans over four decades of Grout's work, from ... ...

Published September 25, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
It's a official: The crop circles found outside of Westminster are the work of Carroll County Ag Center volunteers -- and not the work of space aliens.Now open and continuing through the end of October, the Ag Center is featuring more than 2 miles of ... ...

Published June 29, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle
The smells of campfires, gun smoke and southern fried chicken joined forces with the sounds of children and minstrel musicians playing last Saturday at the Corbit's Charge encampment at 224 N. Center St. in Westminster.All were smothered with the sticky ... ...

Published January 31, 2010 by Carroll Eagle, Eldersburg Eagle, Westminster Eagle
The Chesapeake Roller Derby team Mutiny defended the ship well, but it was the South Jersey Derby Girls who rolled to a 56-29 victory Jan. 23 in the first-ever roller derby event at the Danele Shipley Memorial Arena at the Carroll County Ag Center, in ... ...



20101121 sdosm Recent articles in Explore Carroll by Kevin Dayhoff

*****
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

Friday, January 18, 2008

20080118 Westminster Eagle column: Dr. Martin Luther King's enduring words

Dr. Martin Luther King's enduring words

Westminster Eagle

01/18/08 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wrote in a book, "Strength to Love," published in 1963:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. ..."

Those words are as enduring today as when written 45 years ago.

The year 1963 was a long time ago and we, as a society, have come along way toward social justice since the days of legally-sanctioned segregation.

And yet we must be constantly vigilant, as new challenges are always on the horizon.

This is especially true today as our nation continues to wallow in a political tar pit like some bellowing mastodon with a hangover. It seems these days that all issues of community, race relations, the environment and public policy quickly deteriorate into a "red versus blue" coarsening of dialogue promoted by a lack of humanity and the intellectually challenged.

Here's a well-kept secret for you -- the red versus blue thing isn't real, except as promoted by pundits and cable television stations that wish to have their way with you.

Leadership is about bringing folks together -- not promoting division.

We could use a few national leaders like Dr. King these days and it's only appropriate that we set aside time every year to attempt to reacquaint ourselves with the practice of solving our problems by cultivating nonviolence and compassion.

Because I haven't taken enough abuse recently, I'll venture to share my view that the recent discussion about Taneytown not being a "Sanctuary City" would be boring if it didn't give us a massive headache.

Please re-read the first two paragraphs.

The resolution of Taneytown is a stick in the eye for those of us who are trying to promote Carroll County as a welcoming community and family-friendly place to live and prosper.

It does little, if nothing, to address the problems of illegal immigration.

The societal and economic cost of illegal immigration is certainly a fair discussion. I mean, what part of illegal is not understood?

Nevertheless, the overall solution needs to occur in Congress, a body politic that, unfortunately, gives new meaning to "pathological dysfunctia."

Furthermore, the resolution coming at a time of the year when we celebrate Dr. King could not be more ironic.

Take a memo: xenophobia as an approach to solving complicated immigration problems is interesting in the way a septic truck running off the road, through your front flower bed and ending up on your front porch is interesting.

The resulting rhetoric, gnashing of teeth and collective hand-wringing only promotes myths and misinformation that distort meaningful debate and mute the questions that demand carefully thought-out solutions.

At this point, the only "sanctuary" I'm interested in is a sanctuary from stories like this one that will only go down as indictments of community leaders who have spent years offering solutions in search of a problem in an attempt to gain political advantage by populism.

This year we commemorate the life and work of Dr. King on Jan. 21, but he was born in Atlanta on Jan. 15, 1929.

Much of our community will come together to celebrate him this Saturday when the Carroll County NAACP will hold the fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at Martin's Westminster at 8 a.m. (If you'd like to go, call the NAACP office at 410-751-7667.)

Meanwhile, what I really wanted to write about is a persistent and perennial question from many young readers and new folks in our community:

"Who was Robert Moton?"

If you have any memories about the old Robert Moton School in Carroll County, please share them with me, so that I may include them in a future column.

Considering how angry and passionate folks are about the sanctuary city discussion, my next column may very well be written from an undisclosed location.

Hopefully it is a place that serves grits and has a good stereo system so that I can play Led Zeppelin's remake of Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie's "When the Levee Breaks."

Anybody know what that song has to do with Robert Moton?

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kdayhoff@carr.org.

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=978&NewsID=869869&CategoryID=18317&on=1

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Courthouse history seems to match theatrical flair of current case
The eyes of Maryland were on the Carroll County Courthouse last Friday as oral arguments were heard in the case of Michael D. Smigiel Sr., et al, v. Peter Franchot, et al.

This, of course, is the historic constitutional test case pertaining to alleged constitutional and procedural irregularities i...
[Read full story]


Something we really must talk about
On Christmas Eve, while many friends and families were preparing to get together and celebrate the holidays, the friends, colleagues and loved ones of Smithsburg police officer Christopher Nicholson, 25, gathered to bury him.

On Dec. 19, Officer Nicholson and the stranger he tried to help, Alison ...
[Read full story]

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

20061213 Say It In Broken English

Say it in Broken English

December 13, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff (668 words)

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpid=978&show=archivedetails&ArchiveID=1247802&om=1

I was watching the current TV series “Studio 60” when this column came to life. In the curious and paradoxical world of word associations, there was an oblique reference to Anita Pallenberg in the show.

Ms. Pallenberg was a protégée of the early “Rolling Stones” and Marianne Faithful; who cut one of my all time favorite albums, “Broken English,” in October 1979. (One song, “The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan," was used in Ridley Scott’s 1991 movie “Thelma and Louise.”)

In a later conversation with my wife (pray for my wife) I segued into the current discussions about the history of English as the predominant language in Carroll County. English speaking Europeans came to Carroll County slowly at first, but in the end it appears that the English speakers write the history books.

Before 1744, the predominant government in Carroll County was the Haudenosaunee Nation – the “Six Nations.” The Haudenosaunee played a key role in the evolution of American democracy and paradoxically, they are why we speak English today.

Much of our current way of life is owed to the heritage and legacy of the Haudenosaunee Nation. Several main roads in Carroll County have their beginnings as Haudenosaunee trading routes. And several towns in Carroll County - Patapsco for example - had their beginnings as Haudenosaunee settlements.

It was not until after the Treaty of the Six Nations was signed on July 4, 1744 with the Haudenosaunee Nation, and the dispute over the Mason-Dixon Line was settled in 1767 that settlers started to come here in greater numbers.

It was near present-day Linwood, that the first recorded structure in the territory was built around 1715 by John Steelman. In 1744, approximately 65 families lived in Carroll County.

The Treaty of Paris in 1763 signaled the end of the North American portion of a global war between France and England, the French and Indian War, 1754–63.

It was one of the last pieces of the puzzle enabling settlement in Carroll County with relative freedom from violence. The last piece, of course, was the American Revolution, 1775-83.

But the very first “settlers” were the Algonquians who arrived around 800 B.C. The original Algonquians divided into a number of distinct tribe-nations, which formed a multi-nation government under a constitution that dates to approximately August 31, 1142.

The Algonquians called themselves the “Haudenosaunee” meaning “People of the Longhouse” and their government was one of the first true participatory democracies in history. It also incorporated full political and leadership rights for women.

The French term for the Six Nations confederacy was “Iroquois.” The term is considered a racial slur by many Native-Americans. The original Carroll Countians spoke one of many dialects of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic family of North America.

The Six Nations consisted of “nation-states” made up from different areas governed by the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and the Tuscaroras. The Six Nations extended from Labrador to South Carolina.

Many historians to this day credit the multi-cultural and multi-lingual participatory democracy as exemplified by the Haudenosaunee Nation to be the inspiration for our nation’s founders’ ideas for our system of government.

Other historians have vigorously contested this theory as anecdotal and supposition. Read: history is written by the victorious. However, there is evidence, for example, that both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson in particular used material delineated in a famous speech made by the great Haudenosaunee “sachem” (chief,) Canassatego, in 1744 at the signing of the Treaty of Six Nations.

In the Constitutional Convention of May through September, 1787, the basis for the “federal system” of government advocated by Messrs. Jefferson and Franklin was based on the Haudenosaunee system of government.

Today it is a paradox that for 75 percent of Carroll County’s history, we did not speak English. But to this day, the English speakers are (re)writing history.

And Marianne Faithful; four decades later, she is currently victorious over many personal challenges, living in Paris and enjoying yet another successful re-write of her singing and acting career – and performing in French.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org

####

Often, when I consider the immigration discussions in Taneytown, I think of Marianne Faithfull’s “Say it in Broken English.” (I had the opportunity to see Marianne Faithful in Fells Point – quite a number of years ago and it sounded more like this.)


_____

Related:

Immigration Gumballs

This clip from the longer video, Immigration by the Numbers, features Roy Beck demonstrating the catastrophe of the huge numbers of both legal and illegal immigration by Third World people into the modern nations. He uses standard statistics and simple gumballs to show this disaster in the making.

Video was done by roy beck:

http://www.answers.com/topic/roy-beck

Full video on google:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5871651411393887069

####

"Five Easy Pieces"

Monday, August 07, 2006

20060806 KDDC Rudy Giuliani on immigration reform


Rudy Giuliani on immigration reform
Posted August 6, 2006

I found this on the Weekly Standard's web site:

Former Mayor Giuliani is correct. Please see my Tentacle column from May 31st, 2006: "The Great Mexican Maginot Line."

According to the Weekley Standard:


Thursday, August 03, 2006

Rudy on Immigration

Last night, in an interview with Fox's Bill O'Reilly, Rudy Giuliani again put himself squarely in the president’s camp on immigration reform. The mayor is for tough border security, but he has also made the case in recent speeches that real reform must include a guest worker program and a “path to citizenship.” On Fox, Giuliani argued that comprehensive reform is not only practical but also aides in fighting crime and thwarting terrorists. Some highlights:

GIULIANI: Yes, yes. National Guard short-term solution makes a lot of sense. Increasing the border patrol.

O'REILLY: In the long term.

GIULIANI: Long-term over a period of time would be the permanent way to do that.

But you've got to seal the border. And you've got to do it with personnel. And you've got to do it with technology. You've got to have both.

And we have to know who's in the United States. We need to have information about who's in this country. And then you have to have a way in which people can regularize themselves as well. I mean, you need to get people out from under the table.

O'REILLY: So you would give them a pathway to citizenship?

GIULIANI: I would say -- this is a classic thing where you've got to do both, carrot and stick.

O'REILLY: Yes, but you got to do -- I think the stick first.

GIULIANI: You've got to do both.

O'REILLY: You know, you stop it and then back.

When you were the mayor in New York, illegal immigration rose in this city tremendously. I mean, you can't get a cab now with an American in there.

GIULIANI: But crime declined immensely….


GIULIANI: The Immigration and Naturalization Service would only deport 1,500 to 2,000 a year. So I said to myself I have 398,00 illegal immigrants because the federal government is not going to do anything about this. It can't. So I had to figure out how do I deal with it so that I regularize them, so that I.

O'REILLY: So how did you do that?

GIULIANI: They don't commit crimes. They don't - well, we made sure that their children were allowed to go to school for which we were criticized. But if I didn't do that, I would end up with children on the streets. If I had just said well, illegal immigrants can't have their children in school. And we tried to make their lives reasonable.

O'REILLY: How about city services?

GIULIANI: It would have been.

O'REILLY: Did you give them city money?

GIULIANI: Sure, we did. If they were necessary services. We allowed them, for example, to report crimes.

O'REILLY: Without being -- asked what their status was.

GIULIANI: Because we wanted the criminals who were committing the crimes.

O'REILLY: Right.

GIULIANI: A criminal can beat up an illegal immigrant today. He can beat you up tomorrow. So we need the.

O'REILLY: So you took the practical approach to it?

GIULIANI: But you've got to take a practical approach to it. There are 12 million illegals in this country. We got to stop illegals from coming in. And a tremendous amount of money should be put into the physical security that's needed to do that.

People and technology. At the same time, you've got this tremendous number of people who are below the table. As long as you don't know who they are, as long as you can't get them to come forward, you can't identify them, you can't photograph them, you have to figure out who they are, then you have a dangerous situation.

O'REILLY: It's interesting.

GIULIANI: Now terrorists can hide in that group.

O'REILLY: Oh, absolutely.

GIULIANI: And criminals can hide.

Posted by Daniel McKivergan at 05:33 PM | Immigration |

Saturday, July 08, 2006

20060708 KDDC President Bush Discusses Immigration


President Bush Discusses Immigration
July 8th, 2006
From the other day... July 5th, 2006... The president visited a Duncan Donuts to make some great points about how diversity makes our country strong.

I sure wish he would also find an agriculture operation in which he could visit and also make the point that the "guest worker" program and immigration reform is crucial to agriculture in our country.

Please see my May 31st, 2006 Tentacle column: "The Great Mexican Maginot Line."

I wholeheartedly support the president's position on immigration.

From the White House web site:

President Bush Discusses Immigration in Alexandria, Virginia
Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins
Alexandria, Virginia
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 5, 2006


Fact sheet Fact Sheet: Basic Pilot: A Clear and Reliable Way to Verify Employment Eligibility
Fact sheet In Focus: Immigration
Fact sheet en Español


THE PRESIDENT: I just had a really interesting conversation. First of all, this business is owned by two Iranian American brothers. They are small business owners, they are entrepreneurs, they are employing people. And then I met with the district manager, who works with the two Iranian American brothers, happens to be a Guatemalan American citizen. She is learning business. She is taking on additional responsibility. Then I talked to the store manager, who was a Salvadoran American.

These people remind me that one of the great features of our country is that people are able to come here and realize dreams. One of the problems we have because our economy is strong is that small business owners have trouble finding workers. People come here to work.

And one of the things we've got to do is to make sure that they have a verification plan that will enable them to determine, as they hire new workers, whether or not the workers are here illegally. See, it's against the law to hire somebody who is here illegally. And we intend to enforce that law. Part of a comprehensive immigration plan is to give employers the tools necessary to determine whether or not the workers they're looking for are here legally in America. And we've got such a plan -- Basic Pilot, it's called. It's working.

Please read the rest of the White House piece here. Also, be sure to watch the video.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org

####

20060708 KDDC Immigration Test: Do you have what it takes?

Do you have what it takes to become a citizen?

July 8th, 2006
MSNBC lists some questions from the test given to folks who want to become U. S. Citizens.

They introduce the list of questions by saying:

When immigrants want to become Americans, they must take a civics test as part of their naturalization interview before a Citizenship and Immigration Services officer.

The questions are usually selected from a list of 100 sample questions (see at http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/services/natz/English.pdf ) that prospective citizens can look at ahead of the interview (though the examiner is not limited to those questions).

Some are easy, some are not. We have picked some of the more difficult ones.

Should you be welcomed immediately to the Land of the Free or sent home for some more homework? Find out!

(PLEASE NOTE: These questions are as asked on the official United States Immigration and Naturalization Services Web site. Candidates are not given multiple choices in the naturalization interview, which is conducted orally.)
The "test" can be found here. Tell us how well you do.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org

####




Tuesday, May 16, 2006

20060515 KDDC Immigration Reform White House Fact Sheet

White House Immigration Reform Fact Sheet

Below please find the Fact Sheet on President Bush’s Immigration reform address Monday, May 15th, 2006, and some links to the White House page to obtain additional information:

Video: President Bush Addresses the Nation on Immigration Reform

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060515-7.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/immigration/

http://www.scrappleface.com/?p=2260

_________________

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 15, 2006

Fact Sheet: Overview: Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Fact sheet President Bush Addresses the Nation on Immigration Reform
Fact sheet In Focus: Immigration

Tonight, President Bush Discussed His Vision For Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The five clear objectives of comprehensive immigration reform are securing our borders, creating a temporary worker program, making it easier for employers to verify employment eligibility and continuing to hold them to account for the legal status of workers they hire, dealing with the millions of illegal immigrants who are already here, and honoring the great American tradition of the melting pot.

  • The President Believes America Can Be A Lawful Society And A Welcoming Society At The Same Time. We will fix the problem of illegal immigration, and we will deliver a system that is secure, orderly, and fair.

1. The United States Must Secure Its Borders

Securing Our Borders Is The Basic Responsibility Of A Sovereign Nation And An Urgent Requirement Of Our National Security. President Bush's proposals to better secure our borders include increasing the number of Border Patrol agents, ending the practice of "catch and release" along the southern border, eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to returning illegal immigrants to their home countries, and sending National Guard members to the border for temporary assignment to assist the Border Patrol during the transition as new Border Patrol agents are added and new technology comes online.

Since President Bush Took Office, We Have Increased Funding For Border Security By 66 Percent And Expanded The Border Patrol From About 9,000 To 12,000 Agents. Over the past five years, we have apprehended and sent home more than 6 million people entering America illegally.

By The End Of 2008, We Will Have Increased The Number Of Border Patrol Officers By An Additional 6,000. When these new agents are deployed, we will have more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol during the President's Administration.

We Launched The Secure Border Initiative, The Most Technologically Advanced Border Enforcement Initiative In American History. We will construct high-tech fences in urban corridors and build new patrol roads and barriers in rural areas. We will employ motion sensors, infrared cameras, and unmanned aerial vehicles to detect and respond to illegal crossings.

The President's Plan To Increase Border Security Will Take Time To Fully Implement, So The President Is Announcing Several Immediate Steps To Strengthen Border Enforcement During This Transition:

  • In Coordination With Governors, Up To 6,000 National Guard Members Will Be Sent To Our Southern Border. The Department of Homeland Security, and specifically the Border Patrol, will remain in the lead. The Guard, which will be deployed in shifts, will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance systems, analyzing intelligence, installing fences and vehicle barriers, building patrol roads, and providing training. Guard units will not be involved in direct law enforcement activities -- that duty will be done by the Border Patrol.
    • This Initial Commitment Of Guard Members Would Last For One Year. After that, the number of Guard forces will be reduced as new Border Patrol agents are added and new technologies come online. These 6,000 troops account for less than 2 percent of the total National Guard force of more than 440,000. We have enough National Guard members to secure our border while continuing to respond to natural disasters and to win the War on Terror.
    • The United States Is Not Going To Militarize The Southern Border. Mexico is our neighbor and friend. We will continue to work cooperatively to improve security on both sides of the border, confront common problems like drug trafficking and crime, and reduce illegal immigration.
  • We Will Increase Federal Funding For State And Local Authorities Assisting The Border Patrol On Targeted Enforcement Missions, And We Will Give Them The Specialized Training They Need To Help The Border Patrol And Other Federal Officers Apprehend And Detain Illegal Immigrants.

We Will Work To Ensure That Every Illegal Immigrant We Catch Crossing Our Southern Border Is Returned Home By Ending The Practice Of "Catch And Release." For many years, the government did not have enough space in our detention facilities to hold illegal immigrants while the legal process unfolded. Most were released back into society and asked to return for a court date, but did not show up when the date arrived.

  • To End "Catch And Release," We Will Continue Expanding The Number Of Beds In Our Detention Facilities And Continue Expediting The Removal Process To Cut The Average Deportation Time. We are making it clear to foreign governments that they must accept back their citizens who violate our immigration laws. As a result of these actions, we have ended catch and release for illegal immigrants from some countries. The President will ask Congress for additional funding and legal authority to permanently end catch and release at the southern border once and for all.

2. To Secure Our Border, We Must Create A Temporary Worker Program

President Bush Supports A Temporary Worker Program That Would Create A Legal Path For Foreign Workers To Enter Our Country In An Orderly Way, For A Limited Period Of Time. This program would match willing foreign workers with willing American employers for jobs Americans are not doing. Every worker who applies for the program would be required to pass criminal background checks, and temporary workers must return to their home country at the conclusion of their stay.

  • A Temporary Worker Program Would Meet The Needs Of Our Economy, Ease The Financial Burden On State And Local Governments, And Add To Our Security. A temporary worker program would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families while respecting the law, would replace illegal workers with lawful taxpayers, and would enable us to make certain we know who is in our country and why they are here.

3. We Need To Hold Employers To Account For The Workers They Hire

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Must Include A Tamper-Resistant Identification Card For Every Legal Foreign Worker So Businesses Can Verify The Legal Status Of Their Employees. This card should use biometric technology, such as digital fingerprints, to make it tamper-proof. This would leave employers with no excuse for violating the law, and it would help us enforce the law.

4. We Must Deal With The Millions Of Illegal Immigrants Already Here

The President Opposes Amnesty. President Bush opposes giving illegal immigrants an automatic path to citizenship because it would be unfair to those who are here lawfully, would compromise the rule of law, and would invite further waves of illegal immigration. The President supports increasing the annual number of green cards that can lead to citizenship, but for the sake of justice and security, the President is firmly opposed to amnesty.

President Bush Believes That Deporting Every Illegal Immigrant Is Neither Wise Nor Realistic. There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant and a program of mass deportation.

President Bush Believes Illegal Immigrants Who Want To Stay Should Have To Pay A Meaningful Penalty For Breaking The Law, Pay Their Taxes, Learn English, And Work In A Job For A Number Of Years. The President also believes that there are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border recently and someone who has worked here for many years, and has a home, a family, and an otherwise clean record. Those who meet our conditions should be able to apply for citizenship but approval will not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law.

5. We Must Honor The Great American Tradition Of The Melting Pot

The Success Of Our Country Depends Upon Helping Newcomers Assimilate Into Our Society And Embrace Our Common Identity As Americans. Americans are bound together by our shared ideals, an appreciation of our history, respect for the flag we fly, and an ability to speak and write the English language.

The House And Senate Must Pass A Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill

All Elements Of This Problem Must Be Addressed Together. The House has passed an immigration bill. The Senate should act by the end of this month so that the House and Senate can work out their differences and send the President a comprehensive bill to sign.

America Needs To Conduct This Debate In A Reasoned And Respectful Tone. Feelings run deep on this issue and as we work it out, all of us need to keep some things in mind. We cannot build a unified country by inciting people to anger, or playing on anyone's fears, or exploiting the issue of immigration for political gain. We must always remember that real lives will be affected by our debates and decisions, and that every human being has dignity and value no matter what their citizenship papers say.