Bush pushes for immigration overhaul in 2007

WASHINGTON: US President George W Bush on Friday urged lawmakers to send him legislation this year that would enact a sweeping and controversial overhaul of US immigration policy.   

"It's time for our elected leaders in Congress to act," Bush said at the annual National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast.   

"Each day our nation fails to act, the problem only grows worse. I will continue to work closely with members of both parties, to get past our differences, and pass a bill I can sign this year," he said.   

Bush appealed for supporters of the overhaul to lobby lawmakers reluctant to approve the plan, which he hopes to turn into a major domestic policy victory in his final two years in office.   

"There's a lot of emotion on this issue, and it makes sense to have people from around the country come and sit down with members of Congress to talk rationally about the issue," said the president.   

After the measure collapsed last week, US Senators on Thursday agreed to revive the controversial legislation -- giving an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States new hope over their status.   

The deal was reached after hours of intense talks between senators who framed the original "grand bargain" to grant a path to legal status to illegal immigrants, strengthen border enforcement and initiate a low wage guest worker programme.   

The sweeping overhaul would also replace the current family-dominated immigration system with a merit-based points formula and attempt to cut a huge backlog for permanent resident green card applicants.   

But last week conservatives blasting the bill as an "amnesty" for people who blatantly broke the law prevented it from proceeding to a final vote, handing the president a setback.   

The breakthrough on Thursday came hours after Bush backed a 4.4-billion-dollar burst of immediate spending to secure US borders, in answer to critics of the bill who said its security component was inadequate.