US embassy cable - 04TEGUCIGALPA61

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000061 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR PD/WHA (OHILTON); IIP/G/WHA; EB/EPPD 
INFO IIP/T/ES 
EMBASSIES FOR PAOS, IOs 
 
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