"Z" Visa and Its Discontents

US President George Bush has long been considered a relatively immigrant-friendly politician. When then-Governor of California Pete Wilson (R) passed the now-infamous Proposition 187 denying public services such as education from illegal immigrants, then-Governor of Texas George Bush (R) distanced himself from such efforts. According to Bush, "I said when it first came out I was against the spirit of 187 for my state. I felt like every child ought to be educated regardless of the status of their parents." Fast-forward a couple of years to the present time with Bush nearing the end of his second term. He is concerned with leaving a legacy of some sort, which has been made very difficult by the Iraq war. Given his failure to make a move on other substantive issues in his second term, immigration reform is the last one standing. Also, calculations of the Republican party's future post-Bush come into the picture:

The intense effort — conceived by the president's chief political strategist, Karl Rove — is intended to ensure that Bush will achieve at least one crucial policy victory in the last two years of his presidency.

Success on immigration reform could also accomplish another Rove goal, shoring up the GOP's weakened support among Latinos, who are even more important to the party as independent voters become increasingly disenchanted.

Time is short, though. Immigration is one of the few areas where the Democratic Congress sees eye to eye with the lame-duck president, but strains between the two are likely to worsen as the 2008 election nears.

Unfortunately for Bush, the proposal he is crafting does not seem to be popular at all with the Latin community. Especially contentious is the "Z" visa:

Immigrant rights advocates say many of the [LA] area’s illegal immigrants feel betrayed by President Bush, who they had long considered an ally. While illegal immigrants and advocates have long focused their ire at conservative Republicans and Congress, many had seen Bush as an advocate of immigration reform because he had repeatedly said he favors giving many illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

The White House’s draft plan, leaked last week, calls for a new “Z” visa that would allow illegal immigrant workers to apply for three-year work permits. They would be renewable indefinitely, but would cost $3,500 each time.

Then to become legal permanent residents, illegal immigrants would have to return to their home country, apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate to re-enter legally and pay a $10,000 fine...

The proposal has been sharply criticized by Hispanic advocacy groups, Democrats, the Roman Catholic Church and unions that have many immigrants in their ranks. They argue the cost of work permits and the green card application — which could total more than $20,000 — are prohibitive for low-wage earners...

The plan is far more conservative than the one passed by the Senate last year with bipartisan backing and support from President Bush. That plan would have allowed many of the country’s estimated 12 million illegal immigrants to stay in the United States, work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, pay small fines and back taxes and clear a background check.

Many Senate conservatives opposed that plan, and it failed to gain traction in the then Republican-controlled House, which at the end of 2005 passed the punitive immigration reform bill that angered immigrant communities and led to massive protests.

The steep fees and fines involved in Bush's new measure are clear financial deterrents to those wishing to obtain legal work status. In a way, though, it fits with the growing xenophobic and isolationist sentiment Stateside. Watch this space. (Here's a bit of trivia for you: the employment permit for foreigners wishing to work in China is called--you guessed it--the Z visa.)

UPDATE: You can follow Bush's speech on comprehensive immigration reform before the Yuma, Arizona border patrol on C-SPAN. He is speaking live as of 1730 GMT.