In an Op-Ed in The Washington Post the former President knocks the inability of the American Congressional lawmakers to sit down and reform the immigration policy of the United States of America…
Bush, a former Texas governor who has immigrants form Mexico in family is coming out against the Republican political agenda right now…
His words actually lay out a way for his fellow Republican’s to take up the subject from a middle ground…
Will he be listened to?
Former President George W. Bush lamented the polarization of immigration reform in a Washington Post op-ed published Friday, writing that “the issue has been exploited in ways that do little credit to either party.”
“Over the years, our instincts have always tended toward fairness and generosity. The reward has been generations of grateful, hard-working, self-reliant, patriotic Americans who came here by choice,” Bush wrote. “If we trust those instincts in the current debate, then bipartisan reform is possible. And we will again see immigration for what it is: not a problem and source of discord, but a great and defining asset of the United States.”
The op-ed was published ahead of Bush’s interview with CBS’ Norah O’Donnell that’s set to air in clips beginning Sunday, in which he said he’s “ready to re-enter the debate on immigration.” In his piece, Bush called for a path to citizenship for “Dreamers,” increased border security, working with other countries to stem the root causes of migration as well a “modernized” asylum system and higher levels of legal immigration, “focused on employment and skills.”
He also said that amnesty for millions of undocumented people would be “fundamentally unfair” for others who have legal immigration status or are waiting to become citizens. But he also said that undocumented immigrants should be able to earn residency and citizenship gradually via employment, paying taxes, “English proficiency and knowledge of U.S. history and civics, and a clean background check.”
“No proposal on immigration will have credibility without confidence that our laws are carried out consistently and in good faith,” Bush wrote….
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