Bush continues work on immigration policy

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- President Bush stopped by a Dunkin' Donuts shop Wednesday to promote a program to help verify that workers are in the country legally. Behind the scenes, he explored a proposal for breaking a congressional gridlock over immigration legislation.
Flanked by the immigrant owners and employees of the suburban Washington shop, Bush said he wants a rational plan that would treat immigrants with dignity. He said he wants to enforce the borders so fewer people sneak across but also provide a way for those already in the United States for some time to become citizens.
"We're not going to be able to deport people who have been here, working hard and raising their families," Bush said. "So I want to work with Congress to come up with a rational way forward."
The immigration legislation that Bush is demanding is caught between House and Senate negotiators who so far have not been able to work out disagreements over how to handle an estimated 12 million foreigners living illegally in the United States.
House Republican leaders, who are holding a series of immigration hearings across the country this week, have been more reluctant to accept a plan that would allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country without returning to their home countries first.
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