WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George W. Bush on Monday promoted his guest-worker plan as a way to address the country's growing concern of illegal immigration while vowing to tighten border control.

    In a speech delivered at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson,Arizona, Bush said the plan will create a legal way to match foreign workers with US employers to fill jobs that Americans will not do.

    He said the plan would help meet the demands of a growing economy, and "allow honest workers to provide for their families while respecting the law."

    "This plan would also help us relieve pressure on the border by creating a legal channel for those who enter America to do an honest day's labor," said Bush.

    Bush's guest-worker plan offers the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States the chance to register and work -- mostly at low-skilled jobs Americans don't want-- for up to six years.

    Participants of the plan must then return to their home countries for a year to apply for a new work permit.

    To ease the concerns of conservatives who are wary of his guest-worker plan, Bush also talked tough about illegal immigration and a need for tight US borders to deter terrorist attacks.

    He pledged to harden the border with increased manpower and new technology including unmanned aerial surveillance.

    Bush's emphasis on both guest-worker plan and tough crackdown of illegal immigration was seen as a compromise he tried to make between his business supporters who believe foreign workers help the economy, and other conservative backers who take a hard line on illegal immigration.

    It also reflects his Republican Party's desire to woo the Hispanic voters, the fastest growing minority in the country. Most illegal immigrants are Hispanic.

    After spending nearly a week at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Tucson is the Bush's first stop to promote his immigration plan.

    He will raise the issue again Tuesday in El Paso, Texas.

    Fueled by fears of terrorists slipping into the country, escalating violence and drug smuggling, Americans are increasingly worried about illegal immigration.

    A CBS poll last month found over three-quarters of Americans think the government is not doing enough to control the borders.

    The issue is expected to play a major role in the congressional elections next year and Bush is trying very carefully to make a fine line on it. Enditem