U.S. President George W. Bush shakes hands with Guatemala President Oscar Berger in Guatemala City on March 12. AP PHOTO

"The United States will enforce our law," Bush said during a news conference in the Guatemalan capital with President Oscar Berger. "It's against the law to hire somebody who's in our country illegally."

Deportation is a sore issue in Guatemala, and Bush's host told him: "The Guatemalan people would have preferred a more clear and positive response -- no more deportations."

Bush's meetings with Berger, a conservative leader who has become a strong U.S. ally, were dominated by trade and the migration issue.

Bush promised to push for changes that would include a temporary worker program for illegal workers in the United States by August.

He apologized it has taken so long but said it was hard to find "a coherent Republican position in the Senate."

Bush left Guatemala on March 12 for Mexico, where he discussed border issues March 13 with President Felipe Calderon on his last stop of a five-nation tour. The tour is aimed at challenging a perception that the United States has neglected the region and at combating the rising influence of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Meanwhile, Chavez, who has been shadowing Bush throughout this trip, was in Jamaica and Haiti, countries he is courting with preferential oil contracts and generous aid packages.

The Japan Times Weekly: March 17, 2007
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