Background

 

On January 7, 2004 President Bush floated a trial balloon policy to address illegal immigrants in a speech to the nation from the East room of the White House.  Under the president’s proposed “temporary worker program,” as described in his speech, illegal immigrants already in the United States would be allowed to remain and would be provided with a three-year work permit.  After the permit expired, the “temporary worker” would then be able to apply for a renewal.  Critics, including Judicial Watch, charged that the Bush administration was effectively establishing an “amnesty” program for illegals, and that it would lead to a spike in the number of individuals attempting to cross into the United States.  After the January 7 speech, Border Patrol agents began to question illegal immigrants caught crossing the border in order to determine if were trying to get across because of the president’s proposal.  Once early results indicated that, indeed, the “temporary worker program” led to an influx of new illegal crossings, the Bush administration shut the survey down and instructed border patrol agents not to discuss its preliminary findings.  Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act request in February 2004, and recently acquired the surveys, along with a disturbing U.S. Customs and Border Patrol document, the contents of which follow:

 

Excerpt 

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, White House Approved Talking Points, Temporary Worker Program – INTERNAL USE ONLY.

 

“Do not speculate about the program.”

“Do not talk about amnesty, increase in apprehensions, or give comparisons of past immigration reform proposals.

“Do not provide statistics on apprehension spikes or past amnesty data.”

Relevance:

Despite public statements to the contrary, the Bush administration clearly had concerns that their “temporary worker program” would be perceived by illegal immigrants to represent amnesty and lead to an increase in border crossings.  This document effectively orders Border Patrol agents and other Department of Homeland Security officials to mislead, through omission, the public about the negative impact of the Bush proposal on illegal immigration and to withhold information from the American people. 

Read More:

v       Border Patrol Survey Report