Bush Vows to Hunt Down Illegals

Bush is vowing to enforce old immigration laws after all, now that comprehensive reform has croaked on the Senate floor. He promises to crack down on workers who don't have valid Social Security numbers in particular, but bosses parry that there can be good reasons for numerical snafus with the agency – and huge headaches trying to unwrap its red tape.

Analysts worry that Washington’s crackdown could handicap the economy; US roofers claim that one in three workers are legally shady and would cripple the business if they fled. But the Christian Science Monitor reports that Chertoff has zeroed in on jobs as key to the dilemma: "If we have work site enforcement directed at illegal employment, we strike at that magnet.” (More immigration stories.)