Bush: Plan has permanent ban for illegals

President Bush today offered the promise of a future permanent ban on illegal aliens in the United States – if the U.S. Senate moves forward with a compromise "comprehensive" immigration reform package that was killed earlier.
"Right now, our laws are ineffective and insufficient. For example, crossing the border illegally carries weak penalties. In addition, participation in illegal gangs is not enough to bar admission into our country," he said on his weekly radio address.
"And when we cannot get other countries to accept the return of their citizens who are dangerous criminals, in most cases our government can only detain these aliens for six months before releasing them into society," he said.
"This is unacceptable. The bill before the Senate addresses these problems. Under this bill, those caught crossing illegally will be permanently barred from returning to the United States on a work or tourist visa.
"Under this bill, anyone known to have taken part in illegal gang activity can be denied admission to our country. And under the bill, we will be able to detain aliens who are dangerous criminals until another country accepts their return," he said.
However, it also grants legal status to the estimated 12-20 million illegal aliens already within the United States, and that has generated considerable opposition among Republicans and even some Democrats.

Read the story at WorldNetDaily.