The Vex of Mex

PRESIDENT Bush’s proposal to grant an amnesty to illegal Mexican immigrants—that is to say, Mexican president Vicente Fox’s proposal that Bush should grant such an amnesty—is, to date, almost the only policy embraced by the Bush administration that has won enthusiastic bipartisan support. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, Democratic Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, the AFF-CIO, the Business Roundtable, maverick Catholic columnist Andrew Sullivan, the (only slightly less maverick) Catholic bishops, and the pipes and drums of the Texaco oil company all sing the wisdom and generosity of the still-developing policy. It is rare for any proposal, let alone one advanced by a Republican, to be greeted with such general applause. This arouses the inevitable suspicion that somebody is being fooled. Instead of the audience, however, it may be the man who has just pulled the fox out of the hat.

Examine the Bush proposal, as it seems to be emerging in discussions with the Mexican government and Capitol Hill. It would legalize the status of an estimated 3 million illegal Mexican immigrants, allowing them to remain in the U.S. for several years as temporary guest-workers. A few high-skilled workers would be able to gain permanent residency and, thereafter, citizenship. (There is a sizeable backlog of applications.) The rest would return to Mexico.

About the Author

John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.

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PRESIDENT Bush’s proposal to grant an amnesty to illegal Mexican immigrants—that is to say, Mexican president Vicente Fox’s proposal that Bush should grant such an amnesty—is, to date, almost the only policy embraced by the Bush administration that has won enthusiastic bipartisan support. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, Democratic Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, the AFF-CIO, the Business Roundtable, maverick Catholic columnist Andrew Sullivan, the (only slightly less maverick) Catholic bishops, and the pipes and drums of the Texaco oil company all sing the wisdom and generosity of the still-developing policy. It is rare for any proposal, let alone one advanced by a Republican, to be greeted with such general applause. This arouses the inevitable suspicion that somebody is being fooled. Instead of the audience, however, it may be the man who has just pulled the fox out of the hat.

Examine the Bush proposal, as it seems to be emerging in discussions with the Mexican government and Capitol Hill. It would legalize the status of an estimated 3 million illegal Mexican immigrants, allowing them to remain in the U.S. for several years as temporary guest-workers. A few high-skilled workers would be able to gain permanent residency and, thereafter, citizenship. (There is a sizeable backlog of applications.) The rest would return to Mexico.