WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- President Bush called mass deportation of all illegal immigrants residing in the country an "unrealistic" option in the border security debate.
"Amnesty would be wrong... but there ought to be a way for somebody to pay a fine or learn English or prove that they've been here for a long time working and be able to get in line -- not the head of the line, but the back of the line -- in order to become a citizen," Bush said.
"You know, there are some in our country who say, 'Let's just deport everybody.' It's unrealistic... you can't deport people who have been in this country for a long period of time."
Bush made the comments Tuesday while taking questions from the media following a meeting at the White House with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Following up on his prime time TV address on Monday night, in which he called for a "rational middle ground" on immigration and border reform, Bush acknowledged anger at illegal immigration -- symbolized by strong law enforcement legislation in the House which does not include his suggestion of a temporary guest worker program.
That program, which would match foreign workers with U.S. employers, was a "rational" approach to immigrants entering illegally for work and would go hand in hand with stronger border security.
That security, Bush said Monday, would include temporary deployment of National Guard troops to support Border Patrol officers.
Bush said his idea of a path to legalization would deal with the issue of many of the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the United States who have been in the country for years and established familial roots here.
