Bush promises immigration compromise

"Amnesty is not going to fly," Bush said. "There is not going to be automatic citizenship; it just won't work. People in the United States don't support that, and neither do I. Nor will kicking people out of the United States work. It's not practical."

Bush said he was optimistic about convincing congressional Republicans that resolving the status of millions of undocumented workers, mostly Mexican, would be in the best interests of U.S. security.

Eliminating hundreds of thousands of illegal border crossings by job-seekers each year would free authorities to concentrate on those smuggling drugs and guns, Bush said.

Calderon offered an impassioned and personal defense of the more than 10 million Mexicans working north of the border, including some of his extended family.

Responding to a question during a joint news conference, Calderon confirmed that he had relatives working in vegetable fields in the United States, adding, "They probably handle what you eat." But he said he didn't know their legal status.

"What I can tell you is that they work and pay their taxes to the government" of the United States, Calderon said. "These are people who respect the United States. These are people who have children, who want these children to be educated with respect for the land where they live and for Mexico."

Calderon narrowly won election last year with promises of attracting investment and creating jobs that would keep Mexicans home. He echoed that theme Wednesday, noting that half of the residents of his home state of Michoacan were working abroad, part of an expatriate community that last year sent home more than $20 billion.

"We want them to come back," he said. "We want them to find jobs here in Mexico."

Bush spoke sympathetically of the plight of men, women and children who embark on the often dangerous border crossing.

"A system that encourages people to sneak across the border is a system that leads to human rights abuses," Bush said. "It's a system that allows for the exploitation of citizens who are trying to earn a living for their families."