Not only has President Bush's "guest worker" amnesty program for illegal immigrants backfired, the administration moved swiftly to cover up its embarrassment.
So alleges Judicial Watch. The Washington-based public interest group obtained through a Freedom of Information request a detainees survey, which the administration quashed weeks after it was initiated.
Based on the surveys obtained -- Judicial Watch is pursuing the release of other documents -- more than 61 percent of detainees said they heard reports of a U.S. amnesty program. And almost 45 percent said "amnesty rumors" prompted their illegal crossing at the U.S.-Mexican border.
In short order federal officials pulled the survey. A spokeswoman for the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection insists the survey was canceled because some data allegedly were leaked.
Really⢠Then why were federal staffers also told not to talk about amnesty or about spikes in apprehensions?
It's no surprise that Mr. Bush's amnesty plan -- and that's exactly what it is -- prompted more illegal migration. If illegals didn't have enough reason to bypass legitimacy, Bush's brainstorm gave them even more incentive to do so.
The president dangled a carrot. And the hordes responded.
Had the president instead issued a crackdown on illegal immigration from the start -- specifying arrests, detainment and deportation -- he wouldn't be wiping this latest egg from his face.
