Lawrence Ari Fleischer

“ Q Ari, the President today was very clear in saying he does not support blanket amnesty. And you keep talking of a temporary worker permit or a guest worker -- or whatever they're called. In other words, for anybody to be able to -- the President said today an employee has to want to work for that employer and he said there must be a mechanism, a way of making both ends match. So all this talk about amnesty, all it is is a worker program, that's all. You've got to have the worker and the guy who wants to hire him, right? ”

“ There's an important need to help immigrants come to this country and have the legal protections they're entitled to, as well as a humane, safe, and legal way for them to enter into our nation's borders. ”

“ One of the biggest problems with people coming to this country from Mexico is they have been entering in ways that have led to tragedies, human tragedies, with people dying on the borders trying to get through. ”

“ It's also a sign of how hard the President works this issue, how he reaches out to people who don't always share his exact approach to legislation. And the President is hopeful that at the end of the day, enough fruitful conversations will take place that enables millions of Americans to have better protection in their dealings with their HMOs. ”

“ There are other departments in the government whose mission is to protect people within that public housing and to make certain that the laws of our country are being obeyed. And toward that point, the administration has made millions -- hundreds of millions of dollars available this year to support Project Safe Neighborhoods, for example -- that's one program -- $558.8 million is in the Bush budget for Project Safe Neighborhoods, and that provides $15.3 million for 113 new U.S. attorneys to serve as full-time gun prosecutors ”

“ And there are millions of people here who are here illegally, who came here for opportunity, and there are millions -- there are many people who risked their lives coming here. The President would like to set up a system that is humane, that is legal, that is safe, so that immigrants can come here and be welcomed with the opportunities that this nation presents. Q I'm jumping ahead, it's only because I have been lead there by people I've talked to within this administration who say what is currently contemplated is something where guest worker is a transitional phase to legal status. ”

“ This has been a contentious issue with China, and as the President said, it's very important for China to understand that as they modernize and become a part of the developed world, human rights is a key component of development. And the President will be looking to China on that score. Q Do we have any indication, Ari -- if I could follow -- do we have any indication this is something that China might not repeat next week, next month? ”

“ Only after they avail themselves of their legal rights to apply for citizenship, which takes a considerable period of time, of course. Q But citizenship is different from being able to permanently work in the United States. ”