MEDIA REACTION ON NEW IMMIGRATION POLICY,

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000061

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP PREL SMIG KPAO HO PA
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON NEW IMMIGRATION POLICY,
JANUARY 9, 2004



1. Editorial in Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna"
on 1/9 entitled "A door of opportunity". "The new
immigration program proposed by president Bush has had
diverse reactions internationally."

"For instance, for some Central American governments that
every year have to deal with a difficult negotiation process
to extend the benefits of the TPS, this program provides an
opportunity for our fellow countrymen to work in the U.S.
for at least three years. However, we still don't know what
it'll happen to our immigrants when the three-year period
ends. The Bush proposal doesn't say they can stay.
Analyzing the details of the proposal, we see that it
contains some measures regarded as "incentives" for illegals
to go back to their countries."

"The immigrants' aspiration has always been to permanently
resolve their irregular status. Honduran president Ricardo
Maduro expressed his pleasure, saying 'it might be the
chance to achieve a permanent status for our countrymen.'
Without a doubt, this is a door, but it's not the complete
shelter that millions of Hondurans in the U.S. had hoped
for."


2. Editorial in San Pedro-based liberal daily "La Prensa" on
1/9 entitled "A lot of noise, but.". "Bush's plan on the
legalization of undocumented workers drew wide-ranging
reactions, being called "just a plan for temporary workers"
to "an innovative immigration policy." The opinions are
certainly diverse, but the common background behind these
views is undoubtedly the upcoming elections in the U.S."

"Will this new policy make the U.S. borders any safer? This
is the question everyone is asking, but we think that
migratory flows to the U.S. will not be stopped, and believe
that the minimal regulations included in Bush's plan should
be expanded to favor the workers' and their families'
inclusion in American society."

"This plan has nothing special to celebrate, because the
causes of migration are worse than they were twenty years
ago."

"In one way or another, the Hondurans who struggle every day
to avoid being captured by immigration authorities should be
relieved by this plan, which is yet to be approved by the
U.S. Congress."


3. Editorial in Tegucigalpa-based moderate daily "El
Heraldo" on 1/9 entitled "The proposal of George W. Bush".
"If the new immigration policy proposed by George W. Bush
finally becomes law, it should be a good development, not
only for the eight million undocumented aliens who work and
live in the U.S., but also for the economies of their
countries of origin that significantly depend on their
remittances."

"Everyone knows that the Bush proposal, just a few months
before the November elections, is an attempt to attract the
Hispanic vote. Considering this point, we hope that mere
political distrust doesn't tear it down. We hope Bush knows
how to defend it, not only as an example of his goodwill
toward the poor undocumented immigrants who are usually
exploited due to their irregular status, but also as a
mechanism to guarantee the supply of labor for American
companies."

"We expect that both Republicans and Democrats will provide
their full support for the plan. There's no doubt that all
Hondurans will greatly gain from this reform of the U.S.
immigration laws to match the current reality."

Palmer