ABC's Raddatz incorrectly reported that Bush's guest-worker program would allow participants to "eventually gain citizenship"
SUMMARY: On ABC's World News Tonight, ABC chief White House correspondent Martha Raddatz incorrectly reported that the temporary-worker program that President Bush promoted in his May 15 prime-time address would "allow immigrants to work temporarily in the U.S. and eventually gain citizenship." In fact, in his speech, Bush clearly stated that he supports a guest-worker program that provides temporary work permits and requires participants to leave the country when their work permit expires.
On the May 15 edition of ABC's World News Tonight, ABC chief White House correspondent Martha Raddatz incorrectly reported that the temporary-worker program that President Bush promoted in his speech later that evening would "allow immigrants to work temporarily in the U.S. and eventually gain citizenship." In fact, in his speech, Bush clearly stated that he supports a guest-worker program that provides temporary work permits and requires participants to leave the country when their work permit expires. Bush said that he wants a program that would "create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country ... for a limited period of time." He also stated that "temporary workers must return to their home country at the conclusion of their stay." Such a program would appear to not provide a path to citizenship for participants.
It appears that Raddatz conflated Bush's comments on the guest-worker program with his statement that some illegal immigrants already in the United States "should be able to apply for citizenship," a separate proposal.
From President Bush's May 15 prime-time address to the nation:
Second, to secure our border, we must create a temporary worker program. The reality is that there are many people on the other side of our border who will do anything to come to America to work and build a better life. They walk across miles of desert in the summer heat, or hide in the back of 18-wheelers to reach our country. This creates enormous pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will not stop. To secure the border effectively, we must reduce the numbers of people trying to sneak across.
Therefore, I support a temporary worker program that would create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way, for a limited period of time. This program would match willing foreign workers with willing American employers for jobs Americans are not doing. Every worker who applies for the program would be required to pass criminal background checks. And temporary workers must return to their home country at the conclusion of their stay.
A temporary worker program would meet the needs of our economy, and it would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families while respecting the law. A temporary worker program would reduce the appeal of human smugglers, and make it less likely that people would risk their lives to cross the border. It would ease the financial burden on state and local governments, by replacing illegal workers with lawful taxpayers. And above all, a temporary worker program would add to our security by making certain we know who is in our country and why they are here.
From the May 15 broadcast of ABC's World News Tonight:
Nearly half of the nation's Guard has already been on at least one deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. So they will be the least likely to be deployed to the border. Those who are sent will be involved in support work, operating sensors, surveillance cameras, or doing office work to free up border agents. Mr. Bush hopes that his plan will also reap political benefits by bringing on board critics of his so-called guest-worker program. That program would allow immigrants to work temporarily in the U.S. and eventually gain citizenship. Tonight, the president will argue again for that program. "There are many people who will do anything to come to America to work," the president will say. "This creates enormous pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will not stop." Not everyone is convinced. Today, the guest-worker program continued to be the hot topic among conservatives.
MMFA is supposed to be identifying far-right moonbat misinformation, not creating its own.
From your link, Bush also said: "I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the law, to pay their taxes, to learn English, and to work in a job for a number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to apply for citizenship, but approval would not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law. What I've just described is not amnesty, it is a way for those who have broken the law to pay their debt to society, and demonstrate the character that makes a good citizen."
In your snippet, Bush is referring to immigrants "who have roots in our country". I'm not sure what qualifies as "roots", but that group is different from the group of "temporary workers" Bush said "must return to their country after their stay".
Also, did anyone hear any mention of what labor laws will apply to the guest workers?
If congress and the admin stay in character, then they'll probably use the small print in the bill to make the guest workers exempt from minimum wage and overtime laws.
Yes, it could be that some might be eligible and others might not. But the point remains that MMFA made a flat assertion that was not flatly correct. Perhaps ABC was not totally correct, either, but I would hope for MMFA to present the un-spun facts rather than trying to reverse that spin.
is that Raddatz claimed that Bush's guest worker program would eventually lead to citizenship. Raddatz is either wrong, or mis-spoke. The guest worker program Bush speaks of will force participants back to their native country after their time is up. That has nothing to do with gaining citizenship, as Raddatz claims. MMFA correctly reported that Raddatz claimed that Bush's guest worker program will offer the oppurtunity to gain citizenship to the United States, which is not true.
BTW, where in the constitution does it say "In order to gain citizenship, one must be fluent in English." I havn't heard any of this before the immigration problem hit the media channels a couple years ago, besides from ignorant hicks that don't want immigrants here in the first place. If they want English to be the official language of the U.S., then make it the official language. The US does not have an official language. This is why they provide government materials (ie. booklets, pamphlets, informative materials) in multiple languages.
Go to any Department of Motor Vehicles and pick up a rules of the road booklet. See how many different versions there are. In San Diego, they have Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and English just to name a few off the top of my head. You would think that DRIVERS would be one of the more important groups of people YOU would want to know English.