Aug/14 Bush won't tolerate immigrant bashing

By EDUARDO MONTES

Associated Press Writer

#EL PASO -- Without hesitation and under no uncertain terms, Gov. George W.

Bush has staked out his position on illegal-immigrant bashing during the

upcoming presidential race: There will be none.

Breaking with a popular trend of making political hay out of illegal

immigrants by blaming them for many of the nation's fiscal ills, Bush said he

refuses to point an accusatory finger at the undocumented.

And, he said, he doesn't want to see any other politicians do it either, be it

in Texas or anywhere else.

During a recent visit, the Republican governor said he will use his political

clout in upcoming presidential primaries in the state and around the nation

"to see that there is no immigrant bashing."

Those that do will draw his ire, he said.

Reacting to his comments, presidential contenders Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kansas, and

Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, both said they aren't among the guilty.

"I agree with Gov. Bush," said Dole. "I'm not bashing anybody that I know

of."

"I'm not bashing," added Gramm.

But the issue doesn't begin or end with them.

Illegal immigration has been a hotly debated topic for months around the

nation in general -- where calls for stronger border controls and revamped

laws are in vogue -- and in politics in particular.

"The basic issue here is do we want to encourage people to come to America

who want to come with their sleeves rolled up ... or do we want to perpetuate

a system that encourages people to come to America to seek welfare?" Gramm

said.

Some have striven to take a high road in the debate, highlighting concerns

about the United States' ability to absorb waves of immigrants.

Others, however, have preferred attacks, portraying illegal immigrants, and

sometimes those who enter legally, as being attracted to the United States by

the promise of welfare benefits.

In those instances, the vitriol has generally been directed at Mexicans, by

far the largest immigrant group on the United States' southern border.

Most often, Republicans are associated with taking a harder stance, though not

necessarily the xenophobic extremes.

Much of that is attributed to another presidential contender, California Gov.

Pete Wilson, who made fighting illegal immigration a focal point of his

successful re-election bid last year. He also was a driving force behind

California's controversial Proposition 187.