April 24 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush, seeking to refocus the immigration debate in Congress, said the U.S. must attack the ``underground industry' that thrive on illegal immigrants while treating undocumented workers ``with respect.'
The president, speaking to the Orange County Business Council in California, said the government can't enforce immigration laws by turning business owners into document inspectors and that any plan to deal with illegal immigrants by forcibly returning them to their home countries is unrealistic.
``I know this is an emotional debate, but one thing we can't lose sight of is that we're talking about human beings,' Bush told the group. ``Massive deportation of people here is not going to work.'
Lawmakers are returning to Washington today after a two- week break and legislation to overhaul the nation's immigration laws is among the top priorities on their calendar. Members of Congress are facing elections in November, and Bush's proposal for a guest worker program has divided his fellow Republicans.
The president called a proposal under consideration in the Senate ``an important compromise.' The legislation, crafted by Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, would strengthen border security and create a guest worker program. It also has the support of most Democrats.
Nudging Along
Tamar Jacoby, an analyst at the Manhattan Institute, a public policy research organization in New York City that supports the guest-worker proposal, said Bush's comments today represented his strongest acknowledgement yet that deporting most illegal immigrants isn't a viable option.
``He may recognize that the Senate bill is close to having the votes it needs, and he's trying to nudge them along,' Jacoby said.
Bush plans to meet with Democratic and Republican senators tomorrow afternoon.
The House passed immigration legislation last year that increases the penalties for crossing the border illegally and for businesses that hire undocumented workers. It also would fund building 700 miles of fences and walls along the 3,000-mile U.S. border with Mexico.
Republican Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado is leading opposition to any plan for a guest worker program, saying it amounts to amnesty for law-breakers.
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