SERGIO BUSTOS
  Citizen Washington Bureau

  WASHINGTON - Top Democrats yesterday blasted President Bush's temporary foreign worker proposal, calling it a "road to nowhere" for millions of illegal
  immigrants.

  Democratic lawmakers argue the immigrants should be allowed to remain in the United States after temporary visas expire.

  Borrowing from Bush's immigration speech earlier this month, Democrats declared their own "set of principles" in urging Congress to pass legislation to fix the
  country's "broken immigration laws."

  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Bob Menendez of New Jersey said illegal immigrants should be allowed
  to "earn" legal status.

  The two legislators want to raise the annual cap on the number of legal immigrants admitted into the country.

  Bush's proposal would not guarantee eventual permanent legal status for immigrants who are granted three-year visas. It would require them to return to their native
  country when the visa expires.

  "The president's proposal is a road to nowhere, while the Democratic principles are a path to the American dream," Menendez said.

  Bush has denied he is trying to use the proposal to curry favor with Hispanic voters. Instead, he counters that Congress must find a way to "match willing foreign
  workers with willing employers."

  The Democrats' plan is among several immigration proposals circulating on Capitol Hill, where a flurry of measures has emerged in recent months. Some would create
  temporary foreign worker programs. Others would help give legal status to farmworkers and immigrant children.

  Lawmakers, especially Republicans, appear divided over any kind of immigration legislation that would offer illegal immigrants the opportunity to become legal
  residents.

  Immigration advocates, who applauded the Democrats' proposal, said Republicans and Democrats must find a compromise.

  "The question is no longer if we should reform our immigration system, nor is it any longer a question of when, because it appears the train is ready to roll," said Frank
  Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.