CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Gov. Jeb Bush urged the federal government to change its visa and immigration policies Thursday, saying the country needs to avoid stifling international travel and commerce. The governor said he recognized that the country had to tighten security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but said a better balance was needed.
"Now it's important to look at where we are and to make the necessary adjustments so that we don't choke off international travel. So that we don't choke off international commerce," he said during The Miami Herald's annual Americas Conference.
Florida especially understands that immigrants play an important role in renewing the country, he said.
"It is a good thing to have people who want to come to set up their business, to invest here, to use this as a platform for the expansion of their business, whether they're from Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil or Texas."
Bush, a brother of President Bush, said he gets a lot of e-mails from frustrated people who go through Miami International Airport. He also said the federal government should expand scholarship programs for residents in Latin America, the Caribbean and other regions to come study in the U.S.
"The United States has actually pulled back after Sept. 11 with providing visas for foreign students," he said.
