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US Weighs Legal Status of Mexicans
The Bush administration is considering the option of granting legal residency to as many as 3 million illegal Mexican immigrants now living in the United States, the Washington Post reported Monday.
The move is part of a joint effort between the United States and Mexico to solve chronic problems along the US-Mexico border, according to the Bush administration officials.
A joint immigration working group, headed by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and Mexican Foreign Minister Santiago Creel, will submit a report to President George W. Bush on Monday, urging action to address the illegal immigration problem, a US Justice Department official said.
Though the report stopped short of endorsing particular proposals, granting broad amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants is among the options that have been seriously discussed by the group and its staff, officials said.
Proposing even limited amnesty could create a political explosion among conservatives in U.S. Congress and in states along the Mexican border. But many business groups and some unions would welcome the ability to tap a large new pool of legal workers, the report said.
Many conservatives on Capitol Hill have vowed to fight any amnesty proposals, arguing instead to allow Mexicans to stay as temporary laborers only.
Meanwhile, leaders of U.S. Latino rights organizations said they would accept an amnesty plan only if it also gives broader protections to guest workers.
"Temporary laborers should have rights to unionize, to obtain legal services and to stay with their families," said Cecilia Munoz, a vice president for the National Council of La Raza.
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