Bush to Weigh Residency for Illegal Mexican Immigrants

Answering a relentless lobbying campaign by Mexican President Vicente Fox, President Bush said Thursday for the first time publicly that he is willing to consider an immigration deal that includes permanent residency for some of the more than 3 million Mexicans living illegally in the United States.

Bush offered his latest thinking on the issue shortly after Fox delivered an emotional appeal to a joint session of Congress, urging U.S. lawmakers to embrace a pact to help such immigrants.

Fox reminded his listeners that many of their own families had come from immigrant stock, and he sketched a long-term vision in which Mexico would welcome home its migrants.

“We need you to come home one day and play a part in building a strong Mexico,” Fox said, as if speaking directly to his fellow citizens. “We need you to come back. The future lies in a prosperous and democratic Mexico.”

Later, at the White House, Bush responded to the public push Fox made Wednesday for a bilateral immigration deal before the end of the year. Fox’s remarks came at the ceremony welcoming him to the White House, and his forceful challenge caught many administration officials by surprise.

Bush said Thursday that he would do his best to meet the timetable Fox advocated--but added a strong dose of caution, noting the considerable opposition within Congress to such reforms.

“I fully understand President Fox’s desire for us to . . . come up with a solution quickly, to expedite the process. And we’re going to do that,” Bush told reporters before he departed with Fox for Toledo, Ohio.

Bush added, however, that a political deal on immigration acceptable to both Congress and Mexico “is an incredibly complex issue.”

Bush has repeatedly ruled out a blanket amnesty for illegal residents. But on Thursday, he sketched more of the possible content of an immigration proposal that could emerge from negotiations.

“I hope to come forward with a program that will pass Congress, that deals with guest workers with some sense of normalization,” he said. “One of the things I have told [Fox] is I am willing to consider ways for a guest worker to earn a ‘green card’ status.”

A green card signifies legal permanent residency in the United States and is a step toward acquiring citizenship. Bush had not previously mentioned the green card option, focusing instead on his support for admitting more temporary workers on short-term visas.

Other administration officials had raised the notion of easing the process for obtaining a green card, but such talk had subsided as Republican conservatives in Congress stressed their opposition to any form of legalization.

Leader Makes Case Directly to Lawmakers

Fox on Thursday sought to disarm such critics as he made his case for improved bilateral relations directly to U.S. lawmakers. He was the first Mexican leader to address a joint meeting of Congress since President Carlos Salinas de Gortari in 1989.

“The relationship between Mexico and the United States has changed in one fundamental way: True democracy in Mexico, for decades an unfulfilled dream, is now a reality,” Fox declared, prompting a standing ovation in the packed House chamber.

Fox’s team has consciously exploited this theme during the visit, aware of the attention generated in the U.S. by his historic July 2000 victory over a candidate from the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which had governed Mexico for more than seven decades.

“Trust needs to be the key element of our new relationship,” Fox told Congress. “I am aware that for many Americans, and for many Mexicans, the idea of trusting their neighbor may seem risky and perhaps even unwise. [But] as a result of last year’s vote, Mexico now has a legitimate and truly democratic leadership. This has meant a change in government, but it is also a reflection of a profound change in the values and aspirations of Mexican society.”

Pressing his plea for reform, Fox said legalization for undocumented migrants “does not mean rewarding those who break the law. It means that we will provide them with the legal means to allow them to continue contributing to this great nation.”

Fox alternated between English and Spanish during his speech.

The Senate offered a parting gift to Fox, passing late Thursday a measure that would reinstate a program allowing some undocumented immigrants who qualify for legal status to apply for it without being forced to return to their home country first. The bill now goes to the House, which could approve it as early as next week.

Today, Fox is to speak at the headquarters here of the Organization of American States, the 35-nation political forum for the Western Hemisphere. He then travels to Miami to address a political conference before returning tonight to Mexico City.

The trip by Bush and Fox to Toledo, which has a Mexican American community dating back 70 years, aimed to highlight the historic ties between the two countries.

At the same time, the city has been troubled by the flight of jobs to Mexico in the wake of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. With that in mind, both presidents addressed the benefits to each country of lowered trade barriers.

Trade, Bush said, will help Fox’s nation “to grow a middle class so the citizens of Mexico can find work to feed their families, just like the citizens of American can find work to feed their families.”

Mexican Proposals Draw Mixed Reaction

Despite the goodwill that Fox sparked during his Capitol Hill visit, which included a private meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, lawmakers had mixed reactions to the Mexican leader’s immigration proposals.

Just minutes after Fox concluded his speech, four conservative House members unveiled a resolution that affirms the sovereignty of U.S. borders and derides proposals to legalize those who crossed them unlawfully.

“The issue really boils down to this: If you’re going to have a border, and have the border mean something, then it must be enforced,” said Rep. Thomas G. Tancredo (R-Colo.).

At the same time, Democrats called for broad changes that would include some form of legalization--and would apply to immigrants from all countries.

“We’re ready to go on all of it,” said House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), calling for immigration reforms that would deal with family reunification, legalization of undocumented workers, temporary guest workers and border security. “We think all of it is important.”

Gephardt maintained that such legislation could be considered this year if GOP leaders push hard enough. “We stand ready to work with Republicans and the president to get these things done,” he said.

Although negotiators for Bush and Fox have yet to make substantive progress on immigration reform, a joint communique issued by the presidents found solace in the fact that the talks are taking place at all. The statement called the talks “the most fruitful and frank dialogue we have ever had on a subject so important to both nations.”

The presidents also directed the bilateral working groups, headed by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and their Mexican counterparts, to devise proposals “as soon as possible” on border safety, a temporary-worker program and the status of undocumented Mexicans in the United States.

“The presidents recognized that this is an extraordinarily challenging area of public policy, and that it is critical to address the issue in a timely manner and with appropriate thoroughness and depth,” the Bush-Fox statement declared.

The two leaders agreed to form a public-private alliance to spur economic growth throughout Mexico as a way to address some of the root causes of immigration. The “partnership for prosperity” initiative is to report back with an action plan by March.

Bush and Fox also reached accords on a variety of second-tier issues, including the sharing of forfeited assets seized from smugglers of migrants and other cross-border criminals during joint investigations.

Another agreement calls for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expedite regulations governing the importation of Mexican avocados. “For those of you avocado lovers, you’ll be pleased to hear that we’ve solved that problem,” Bush said.

In the communique, Bush reiterated his commitment to replace the current process that requires Congress to annually certify Mexico’s cooperation in stemming drug trafficking. Bush elaborated on the issue during their news conference.

The practice, Bush said, “sends the wrong signal to our friends to the south. To have an annual certification process, really, I don’t think is fair to Mexico, and I think it’s counterproductive, and I hope they change the law on decertification.”

Bush also picked up on Fox’s plea to Congress to allow Mexican trucks unfettered movement in the U.S. Legislation now moving through Congress seeks to either ban Mexican trucks from U.S. roads because of safety concerns or require that the vehicles meet strict inspection standards.

“Mexican trucks ought to be moving in the United States,” Bush said, repeating a vow to veto the legislative efforts to severely limit such access.

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Times staff writers Jonathan Peterson in Washington and James Gerstenzang in Toledo contributed to this story.