President Bush on Monday called for “rational” immigration reform before Orange County political and business leaders in Irvine while protesters from the Minuteman Project jeered outside.
“Massive deportation of the people here is unrealistic,” Bush said. “It’s just not going to work. You can hear people out there hollering it’s going to work. Therefore, what do we do with people who are here? And this is one of the really important questions Congress is going to have to deal with.”
The president made his own pitch for a guest worker program with tamper-proof identification cards. He called it a “rational plan that recognizes people coming here to work and lets them do so on a temporary basis.”
Bush spoke at the Hyatt Regency Irvine in the final stop of a California swing before heading to Las Vegas. The night before, Bush said he dined with Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others.
During his speech, Bush recognized several audience members, including former ambassador to Spain George Argyros, Irvine Mayor Beth Krom, Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren and Congressman John Campbell.
Campbell was elected in December to the seat held by Christopher Cox before his appointment by Bush as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Immigration was a key issue in the race, in which rival Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, grabbed 18% of the vote.
Bush made light of talking up immigration in Gilchrist’s backyard:
“So I saw my friend (former state Senator) Jim Brulte He said, people are wondering why you would come to Orange County to talk about immigration. And the answer is because that’s what a leader does.”
