US to clamp down on illegal migration - Financial Times - MSNBC.com

US to clamp down on illegal migration - Financial Times - MSNBC.com

US to clamp down on illegal migration
By Andrew Ward in Washington
Financial Times

President George W. Bush's administration on Friday announced a clampdown on illegal immigration, six weeks after a more ambitious plan to tackle the problem collapsed in Congress.

The latest measures mostly involve tighter enforcement of existing immigration laws, posing a threat to the many US employers who have become reliant on undocumented workers.

"The message we are conveying today is pretty simple: we are serious about immigration enforcement," said Michael Chertoff, homeland security secretary.

Mr Bush made immigration reform a priority of his second-term as president, aggressively supporting bipartisan legislation that aimed to strengthen border security while offering a path to citizenship for the estimated 12m illegal immigrants already in the US.

But the bill collapsed in June amid fierce opposition from grassroots Republicans, who accused Mr Bush of offering "amnesty" to people who entered the US illegally.

The measures announced yesterday reflected the in-tense pressure on the White House to get tough on illegal immigration, which has become one of the most highly charged issues in US politics.

"Our hope is that the key elements of the Senate bill will see the light of day at some point. But until Congress chooses to act, we're going to be taking some energetic steps of our own," said Mr Chertoff.

One new rule proposed on Friday would mandate employers to dismiss workers unable to verify their legal status within 90 days. Employers who failed to comply would face possible criminal fines and sanctions.

"We're going to continue to clamp down on employers who knowingly and wilfully violate the laws," said Mr Chertoff.
Carlos Gutierrez, commerce secretary, promised to streamline existing visa rules to help industries that rely on immigrant labour, such as construction, agriculture and hospitality, to remain within the law.

"We will use every available tool to provide America's farmers, ranchers and small businesses with a legal workforce, to stay in business and keep our economy strong," he said.

Edward Kennedy, the Democratic senator who helped craft the failed immigration bill, warned that the administration's proposals would have little impact.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, an opponent of the immigration bill, said the administration "can talk until they're blue in the face" but "I won't be happy until I see action that's more than just a press conference and words on a piece of paper."