Immigration: Don't Use the A-Word
Two days before his bid for immigration reform died in the Senate, President George W. Bush accidentally told a group of lawmakers that his plan would grant undocumented individuals "amnesty."
"You know, I've heard all the rhetoric - you've heard it, too - about how this is amnesty. Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that," Bush said at the time.
The statement signaled a shift in position from deny, deny, deny to embracing the a-word. It was such a dramatic shift, in fact, that the White House later released a retraction, saying the president had misspoken.
Throughout the 2007 debate, those defending the immigration reform distanced themselves from the a-word while opponents used it to attack. Now as President Obama and senators on both sides of the aisle renew the discussion, amnesty is again feeling the hot glare of the spotlight.
"It's essentially the same legislation that was offered and rejected in 2007," Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said about a framework proposed by four Democratic and four Republican senators Monday. "It includes amnesty for people who are here illegally."
Immigration Reform: Five Years Later, What's New?
That word was a sticking point for Mehlman, who maintained the legislation would grant "nothing" to American citizens.
"It's all based on what the immigrants and particularly the illegal immigrants want and what employers want," Mehlman said.
Mehlman may consider it amnesty, but the lawmakers proposing the reforms call "a path to citizenship" for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. now. That path includes a fine, payment of back taxes, learning English and civics, a criminal background check and proof of employment.
Obama Immigration Plan: More Direct Path to Citizenship Than Senate's
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Immigration: Don't Use the A-Word