Janus
27th March 2006, 17:34
BBC News
US President George W Bush has used a naturalisation ceremony in Washington to boost his calls for a guest-worker programme.
Mr Bush swore in new US citizens at the event, amid growing protests over plans to criminalise undocumented workers.
He wants to allow foreigners to stay for a set time in specific jobs, but his Republican Party is divided.
A bill which would make it a felony for migrants to remain in the US illegally is set to be debated by the Senate.
Ahead of the Senate debate on Tuesday, Mr Bush told the naturalisation ceremony: "The immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and dignified way."
Immigrants had "shaped America's identity", he added, as well as helping to sustain the country's economy.
The House of Representatives passed an immigration bill last December, which included tough enforcement measures.
'Greatest nation'
Activists opposed to tougher immigration laws took to the streets last week. About half a million people rallied in Los Angeles, California, this weekend.
The president has urged all sides of the debate to tone down their rhetoric.
He said securing borders was a top priority but he also invoked the country's history as "a nation of immigrants" to argue for a balanced approach.
At Monday's ceremony, Mr Bush argued that a guest-worker programme would provide a legal way of matching immigrant workers with employers, giving them jobs that Americans did not want.
He said it was important the Congress passed the comprehensive immigration bill.
The president congratulated the new US citizens, wishing them luck as "citizens of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth".
Key election issue
The immigration bill would also impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and allow for the erecting of fences along a third of the US-Mexican border.
The proposals have angered many Hispanic-Americans, a key voting bloc in November's mid-term elections.
It is estimated that 11.5 million people are living in the US illegally. Many of them work in the agricultural sector and the construction and service industries.
US President George W Bush has used a naturalisation ceremony in Washington to boost his calls for a guest-worker programme.
Mr Bush swore in new US citizens at the event, amid growing protests over plans to criminalise undocumented workers.
He wants to allow foreigners to stay for a set time in specific jobs, but his Republican Party is divided.
A bill which would make it a felony for migrants to remain in the US illegally is set to be debated by the Senate.
Ahead of the Senate debate on Tuesday, Mr Bush told the naturalisation ceremony: "The immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and dignified way."
Immigrants had "shaped America's identity", he added, as well as helping to sustain the country's economy.
The House of Representatives passed an immigration bill last December, which included tough enforcement measures.
'Greatest nation'
Activists opposed to tougher immigration laws took to the streets last week. About half a million people rallied in Los Angeles, California, this weekend.
The president has urged all sides of the debate to tone down their rhetoric.
He said securing borders was a top priority but he also invoked the country's history as "a nation of immigrants" to argue for a balanced approach.
At Monday's ceremony, Mr Bush argued that a guest-worker programme would provide a legal way of matching immigrant workers with employers, giving them jobs that Americans did not want.
He said it was important the Congress passed the comprehensive immigration bill.
The president congratulated the new US citizens, wishing them luck as "citizens of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth".
Key election issue
The immigration bill would also impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and allow for the erecting of fences along a third of the US-Mexican border.
The proposals have angered many Hispanic-Americans, a key voting bloc in November's mid-term elections.
It is estimated that 11.5 million people are living in the US illegally. Many of them work in the agricultural sector and the construction and service industries.