Promoting a plan that could brighten his election-year prospects with Hispanic voters, US President Bush yesterday proposed legal status "at least temporarily "for millions of illegal immigrants working in the United States.

The programme would be open to all undocumented workers now in the US. Applicants who can show they have a job "or for those still in their home countries, a job offer "would get an initial three-year work permit that would be renewable for an unspecified period.

But the sweeping policy overhaul, offered with few specifics, also angered many in the president's conservative Republican base of support and drew criticism from advocacy groups who questioned whether it would do much to help immigrants.

Democrats were united in calling the plan a political ploy that offers a false promise of legitimacy for the undocumented workers.

Decrying a system that now has "millions of hardworking men and women condemned to fear and insecurity in a massive undocumented economy,"Bush urged Congress to approve a temporary worker programme.

"We should have immigration laws that work and make us proud. Yet today we do not,"Bush said in the White House's East Room.

The reform plan

Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch praised Bush for opening the debate and said that a new immigration policy should "extend a welcoming hand to those whose presence will benefit our nation and our economy."

Bush said it would make the nation's borders more secure by allowing officials to focus more on the real threats to the country and would meet US employers"dire need for workers willing to take the low-wage, low-skill jobs unwanted by many Americans.

It also is the right thing to do, Bush said, to pull immigrants who now live in the shadows of American society under the protection of US labour laws, allow them to travel freely back and forth to their home countries, bring dependants they can support to the US with them and grant them the confidence to talk openly to authorities about crimes and exploitation on the job.

Bush said the programme does not provide blanket amnesty "which he defined as an "automatic path to citizenship""for foreigners who are in the United States illegally.

Workers accepted into the programme would be allowed to immediately, with an employer's sponsorship, begin applying for a green card, which allows permanent US residency. Although these workers would get no advantage over other applicants already in the long line for green cards. An illegal immigrant who attempted to apply now would simply be deported.

Undocumented workers

The number of illegal immigrants hiding from the authorities in the US is now estimated at over three per cent of the country's population.

The US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) estimated there were some seven million illegal immigrants living in the US in 2000 and that this number could soon reach between eight million and nine million.

According to unofficial estimates, the number of illegal immigrants in the US could be as high as 14 million.

The majority of illegal immigrants come from South America, with the lion's share coming from neighbouring Mexico.

Most illegals are concentrated in seven US states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York and Texas.

Reaction back at home

US Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday he is confident legislation based on Bush's immigration reform plan would be approved by Congress.

But even as Bush made the announcement, the tough sales job ahead for the White House was apparent as the president's plan drew heated criticism from both the right and the left.

Many conservatives balked at the idea of any reward for people who broke the law by coming to the US.

"I'm not for allowing illegals to stay in this country,"said Republican Representative Virgil Goode of Virginia.

The programme was designed in part to win Bush increased support among the powerful Hispanic voting bloc in the November presidential election. He won just over one-third of that constituency in 2000.

It also was aimed at smoothing the US"sometimes-rocky relations with Mexico ahead of a visit by Bush there next week.

Democratic Representative Bob Menendez of New Jersey, House Democratic Caucus chairman and the highest-ranking Hispanic in Congress, said few immigrants would want to participate in the programme because they know they will be deported after their term is up. Bush's principles say that "he wants their sweat and labor, but he ultimately doesn't want them,"Menendez said.

National Council of La Raza (the Hispanic people) Michelle Waslin was suspicious of Bush's political motives.

"After two years of silence, the president has finally come out and said something about immigrants during the election year,'' she said.

"He's clearly trying to court the Latino vote, but he's certainly not going to be able to do that with this proposal."

Welcome voices

Mexican President Vicente Fox on Wednesday welcomed Bush's proposal on immigration, calling the plan "very interesting."

Fox called the issue "the fundamental theme of the bilateral relationship"between the two countries.

Fox said Bush's proposal would "add to the value of these Mexicans who find themselves working there in the United States."

Meanwhile, low-pay sectors also showed their favour over Bush's plan.

Millions of foreigners work illegally as fruit and vegetable pickers, hotel maids or dishwashers in restaurants "often for little money and with no health benefits "to support themselves and send home cash to their families.

"There is a tremendous need in the hospitality industry for people filling jobs that most Americans don't want to do. We need to use labour from other parts of the world,'' said Joe McInerney, president of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

"Our immigration system is broken, it needs fixing and the president is obviously acknowledging that,'' said Theresa Brown, director of the immigration policy for the US Chamber of Commerce.

(China Daily 01/09/2004 page7)