NEW YORK, Nov 28: President George Bush plans to tackle the contentious illegal immigration issue which has divided the Republican party. At meetings planned for Tuscan (Arizona) and El-Paso (Texas) Mr Bush will push his proposal for a temporary worker programme that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain legal status.

Mr Bush proposed changing US immigration laws to allow illegal immigrants to obtain legal status as temporary workers in jobs US employers were unable to fill with Americans.

The plan would allow undocumented workers to obtain three-year temporary visas.

After those visas expire, the workers could apply for US citizenship but would not be given preferential treatment.

However, some conservatives have fiercely opposed the programme, viewing it as a form of amnesty for people who have entered the US illegally.

Because of that, one republican analyst said, the Bush administration has a delicate balance to strike in appeasing those conservatives by talking tough on border security without alienating Hispanics, women and swing voters.