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Tancredo: 'Yes' to Guard Troops, 'No' to Amnesty
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said he is cautiously supporting President Bush's plan to stage more National Guard troops on the U.S.-Mexico border, but his opinion isn't shared by other members of Colorado's congressional delegation.
Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar called Bush's plan a "shortsighted strategy" and said he was deeply concerned about the idea.
And while GOP Rep. Tom Tancredo, a vocal advocate for tightening the border, said the plan to send troops was good news, he blasted the president's support of a path to citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now in the country.
Story Continues Below In a rare prime-time address to the nation from the Oval Office, Bush on Monday evening announced his plan to send as many as 6,000 National Guard troops to increase enforcement at the Mexican border.
The Guard members would join about 400 others already assisting with border security along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
Bush's proposal came as senators began debate on an immigration bill that would increase security at the border and create a guest worker program for foreigners. His get-tough message was intended to make members of Congress more comfortable with a guest-worker program that would include path to citizenship.
But it's unclear whether Bush changed enough minds for such a bill to pass Congress.
Allard, who has said he opposes the guest worker plan, said that sending troops to the border is appropriate "given the flood of illegal immigrants coming into our country,"
His support was tempered by concern that adding new long-term missions such as border security "has the potential to make it more difficult for the National Guard to respond to emergencies."
Democratic Rep. Mark Udall called the plan a "temporary fix at best."
Salazar, a vocal supporter of the temporary worker proposal, said adding troops on the border could damage the nation's relationship with its neighbors.
"We do not need another short-term fix to the immigration problem, but a long-term comprehensive solution to securing our borders, enforcing our laws and dealing with the human and economic reality of the millions of undocumented workers currently living in the U.S."
Salazar will meet with Bush and other senators this week to discuss the immigration proposal in the Senate.
If the Senate does approve a guest worker bill, it still will be difficult to convince House members, such as Tancredo, who approved a border security measure in December that increased penalties for illegal immigrants and the employers who hire them. House conservatives have been critical of the Senate proposals so far.
Rep. Bob Beauprez, for example, said Bush needed to "adopt an approach parallel with the legislation passed by the House of Representatives last year."
Tancredo said he didn't think Bush could have convinced enough House members.
"I don't think that's a viable approach here," Tancredo said. "Right now I do not believe there's support in the House - on the Republican side anyway - for an amnesty provision, which is what the president proposed."
© 2006 Associated Press.
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics: Inside Cover Stories
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