NEW YORK, March 31 (UPI) -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly wants the illegal immigrants to get permanent status since there are too many of them to deport.
Bloomberg also told CNN he supports tightening the borders with Mexico and Canada, but "rolls his eyes" when politicians seek to throw out undocumented workers.
There are an estimated 500,000 such immigrants in New York City, reports the New York Daily News. There are about 11 million total in the United States.
U.S. President George Bush and some members of both parties support a guest worker program that would let visitors stay in the United States for a fixed period without giving them permanent status.
But Bloomberg said that won't work.
"Are you gonna leave after six years? C'mon. That's just postponing the problem to the next generation, the next Congress," he told the News.
