More in Common Than You Might Think... ?

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Ex-President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama converse during this week's trip to Tanzania. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

This should be interesting.

dallasnews -A president named Obama may be most linked to overhauling immigration policy. But on Wednesday, George W. Bush will weigh in.

Bush will deliver opening remarks at an citizenship ceremony and immigration forum at the Dallas presidential center bearing his name, where it’s expected he will talk about how immigration reform will be good for America. A panel discussion titled “What Immigrants Contribute” will follow. The day will start with 20 immigrants taking a quick pathway to citizenship at an actual naturalization ceremony.

It’s unclear whether the ex-president will stick to generalities during his remarks at the citizenship ceremony, or elevate the conversation with details about the super-sized immigration bill now being debated in Congress.

The George. W. Bush Institute has thrown some weight behind measures to overhaul immigration policies and linked it to its “4% Growth Project,” which proposes such growth would create 10 million additional jobs during the next decade with no rise in government spending. The event will include panels discussing immigration and economic growth, why naturalization matters and “how immigrants serve America.”

Bush’s own promised overhaul of immigration policy was defeated in Congress. His measure with its five basic points is even featured in the new presidential museum, which also houses the Bush Institute.

The Bush Institute has pushed a small stream of reports and posts advocating an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws. Many are blunt: “How Conservatives Should Think About Immigration Reform.” Others note that the Bush Institute has backed “immigration reform” with a book co-sponsored with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Last week, S 744 passed the Senate, but the real fighting on the overhaul will take place in the House. The Senate measure includes a controversial “border surge” amendment that would double the Border Patrol, supply drones and more fencing to the nation’s southern flank. It was viewed as an inducement to Republicans to rally their support for the Senate measure, but one that brought criticism from Mexico’s Foreign Minister and U.S. citizens living at the border.

Some Latino and immigrant-rights groups based in border states like Texas and California say they oppose a measure that includes increases in law enforcement they consider extreme. The Border Patrol has already doubled its size from about a decade ago. Among those voicing objections are the El Paso-based Border Network on Human Rights, the online group called Presente.org, and border affiliates of the ACLU.

Waiting with baited breath for next Wednesday.

Via: Memeorandum