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Bush struggling to satisfy Republicans on immigration bill

US President George W. Bush tried yesterday to patch up differences with the right wing of his party, in open revolt against his immigration proposal.

Bush said in his weekly radio address that illegal immigrants would be required to embrace "our common culture" before becoming citizens.

But he stood firm on the key element of his plan that calls for stringent border security to be coupled with a guest worker program and an eventual path to US citizenship for millions of illegal aliens in the country.

"All elements of this problem must be addressed together or none of them will be solved at all," Bush said, responding to critics that insist that border security should be considered first.

Some of Bush's most stalwart Republican supporters have broken ranks with him over an immigration reform plan he outlined last Monday.

The plan calls for a series of measures to bolster security at the US-Mexican border, including deployment up to 6,000 National Guard troops.

But Bush also called on Americans to be true to their tradition of welcoming newcomers and allow many of an estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants to eventually become citizens.

The legalization element of the plan, also embedded in compromise legislation debated in the Senate, has drawn sharp criticism from conservatives.

Senator Jeff Sessions, a Republican from Alabama, said the US "needs to quit rewarding unlawful conduct."

Jim Inhofe, his colleague from Oklahoma, said the Senate bill "is nothing more than an amnesty."

Meanwhile, the conservative Heritage Foundation released a study warning that the plan in its current form would swell the US population by around 66 million over the next 20 years because legalized immigrants would be able to bring in their spouses, children and other close family members.

In a bid to assuage these concerns, Bush argued that approval for citizenship "will not be automatic," and illegal immigrants "will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law."

He added that foreign workers who had sneaked into the country illegally will have to pay "a meaningful penalty," back taxes, learn English and hold a job for several years.

"We will work to ensure that every new citizen fully embraces our common culture," the president said.
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