Bush Pushes Immigration Plan

President Bush on Monday tried to ease the concerns of conservatives who are wary of his guest-worker plan for foreigners, talking tough about illegal immigration and a need for tight U.S. borders to deter terrorist attacks.

"Illegal immigration is a serious challenge and our responsibility is clear: We are going to protect the border," Mr. Bush said.

After spending nearly a week at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Mr. Bush went on the road to pitch his immigration plan — first in Tucson and again on Tuesday in El Paso, Texas. The border states are home to GOP senators who say there is a need to change immigration laws but who aren't entirely sold on Mr. Bush's vision.

The president has been urging Congress to act on a guest-worker program for more than a year. Under his plan, undocumented aliens would be allowed to get three-year work visas. They could extend that for an additional three years, but would then have to return to their home countries for a year to apply for a new work permit.

Immigration reform and security was the first foreign policy focus of the Bush Administration, but four years later there is less consensus on Capitol Hill on what to do regarding the issue, CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk reports.

"Back before 9/11, the Bush Administration had worked out a compromise proposal on temporary workers that had bipartisan support and a chance of passing," Falk said. "But now with border security even more necessary, there is less agreement on how to separate the Mexican worker issue from the border security problem."

Mr. Bush's plan pairs a guest-worker program for foreigners with border security enforcement, an attempt to satisfy both his business supporters, who believe foreign workers help the economy, and other conservative backers who take a hard line on illegal immigration.

He said the program he's proposing would create a legal way to match foreign workers with American employers to fill jobs that Americans will not do.

"This program would help meet the demands of a growing economy, and it would allow honest workers to provide for their families while respecting the law," Mr. Bush said. "This plan would also help us relieve pressure on the border by creating a legal channel for those who enter America to do an honest day's labor."

Mr. Bush said his plan would reduce the number of workers trying to sneak across the border and free law enforcement officials to nab criminals, drug dealers and terrorists. CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller reports Mr. Bush stressed the progress that has been made during his administration in stemming the flow of illegal immigrants.

"The program that I propose would not create an automatic path to citizenship," Mr. Bush said. "It wouldn't provide for amnesty. I oppose amnesty. Rewarding those who have broken the law would encourage others to break the law and keep pressure on our border."

Mr. Bush emphasized expanding a policy of returning Mexican immigrants — who make up 85 percent of all illegal immigrants in the United States — to their hometowns in the interior of the country, making it harder for them to return all the way to the border. He also advocated ending the "catch and release" policy for non-Mexican illegal immigrants, which releases immigrants and asks them to return for a court date — many never do.

"The practice of catch and release is an unwise policy and we are going to end it," Mr. Bush said.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked Mr. Bush in a letter Monday to encourage bipartisan and realistic changes to immigration laws. Reid said Mr. Bush should "stand up to the right wing of your party and stand up for what is right" by taking more than an enforcement-only approach to illegal immigration.

"Enforcement alone does not work," Reid said. "Unless we address the gap between our immigration laws and reality, illegal immigration will not stop and the situation on the border will continue to be chaotic."

The Senate has postponed its work on immigration proposals until early next year, partly because lawmakers are divided over the scope of such changes and whether foreigners illegally working in the United States should be allowed to stay. The House hopes to tackle some border security measures before adjourning, but little time remains.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was with Mr. Bush in Tucson, has proposed along with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., providing illegal aliens in the United States visas for up to six years. After that, they must either leave the United States or be in the pipeline for a green card, which indicates lawful permanent residency.

Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who also was in Tucson, support an alternative proposal that would require illegal aliens to return to their home countries to apply for a temporary worker program.

Later in the week, Mr. Bush will travel to different parts of America to talk about how his administration plans to handle the war in Iraq. The first stop will be to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

CBS News chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports that Mr. Bush will lay the groundwork to discuss a drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq.