Washington: The White House has said a new review of the US immigration policy was underway, which might lead to amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants – including from India – living and working in the country.

"We have taken steps to improve the immigration infrastructure. Those are some foundations for moving forward in a more orderly, safe and humane migration policy," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters yesterday (Dec 11, 2003).

"This is a matter that really is under review at this point. We continue to look at it," he said.

An estimated eight to 12 million illegal immigrants, mostly from Latin America, live in the US. There are also substantial numbers from almost every country of the world, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The statement came two days after Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told a Miami audience that the Government has to "offer some kind of legal status" to the illegal aliens in the country.

Ridge said he would not support granting citizenship to illegal aliens now in the country "because they violated the law to get here", but the Government needed to "determine how you can legalise their presence" and then institute an immigration enforcement policy to prevent future illegal entries.

Ridge's comments drew harsh criticism from some members of Congress and immigration opponents.

Congressman Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican and chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, said Ridge should resign "if he is unable or unwilling to enforce existing immigration laws".

He said Ridge's comments would "open a floodgate" of illegal aliens trying to "sneak into the US in order to be the first in line for amnesty".

Congress approved an amnesty programme for illegals in 1986, granting legal status to 2.7 million illegal aliens then in the country.

McClellan said President George W Bush "has always been a strong believer that America should be a welcoming society. We are, after all, a nation of immigrants, as he often points out."

He said discussions with Mexico on a new amnesty programme were ongoing prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks, but were halted.

Bush and Mexican President Vicento Fox had agreed before 9/11 to consider granting permanent residency, or green cards, (which could lead to citizenship in three years if the green card-holder is married to an American or in five years in any case), to as many as three million Mexicans living illegally in the US.

PTI