Background

On January 7, 2004 President Bush announced his hopes that Congress would adopt a new "guest-worker" program. In his speech, the President acknowledged that while America is a nation of immigrants, her immigration system is broken. Attention to this issue is long overdue, according to immigrant advocates, who cite the eight-to-ten million undocumented persons living in America’s shadows, and who decry the hundreds of migrant deaths each year caused by ineffective U.S. border policy.

The Bush Administration’s "guest-worker" plan seeks to match “willing foreign workers with willing American employers,” thereby improving the U.S. economy and increasing the security of our homeland. The President stated that any immigration reforms adopted by Congress should be guided by a desire for secure borders, should be mindful of the economic needs of the country, should not reward those who came here illegally, and should provide incentives for workers to return to their countries of origin in a timely manner.

The program would allow undocumented immigrants to attain legal temporary worker status if they pay a registration fee, and can prove that they are employed by a U.S. business. Anyone wishing to immigrate through the program would have to first establish a relationship with a U.S. employer, and if approved, could gain a work visa valid for three years. (The visa could be renewed once for another three years, or the worker would have to return to his country of origin.) Enforcement of the program’s rules would fall largely upon employers, who would be responsible for reporting those employed as "guest-worker", and also would be held accountable for ensuring that undocumented persons are no longer hired.

In an attempt to motivate workers to emigrate home after their visas expire, the Administration promises to work with foreign governments to give temporary workers credit that would transfer to retirement savings when the worker returns to his country of origin. The proposal also includes tax-preferred savings accounts for temporary workers, accessible only after leaving the United States. No expedited method for gaining citizenship will be offered to participants in the guest-worker program. President Bush did state that the path to citizenship should be made accessible to more people, and called on Congress to increase the total number of visas available.

A lukewarm response from Congress and a hostile reaction from the American public forced the president to shelve his proposal until after the election. Now it's back.

After working to strip the most important immigration control measures from the 9/11 response bill, the Bush administration is renewing its push for a "guest-worker" proposal that includes giving legal status to those who entered our country illegally. President Bush has gone to great lengths to deny that the plan is an amnesty, but removing prescribed penalties for illegal acts is the very definition of amnesty.

Bush has repeatedly emphasized that his proposal will bring willing workers to take "jobs that Americans will not do." He chooses to ignore that increasing the supply of unskilled labor depresses wages in the low-end sector, making those jobs less attractive to American workers. American taxpayers are then stuck with the bill for providing health care and education to the children and families of these "guest-workers."

Reaction

The immigration reform that this country truly needs is an increased emphasis on national security and border security, not a surplus of unskilled workers.  It means enforcing the laws we already have in place, such as imposing penalties on employers who hire illegal aliens. It does not include rewarding illegal aliens who have broken our immigration laws--even if you call them "guest-workers."

Millions of Americans are unemployed. Additional millions are struggling in low-wage jobs. Importing additional "guest-worker" and other immigrants will displace even more American workers and further depress the wages of our poorest, least educated and unskilled citizens.

Our immigration policy is a mess. Large numbers of both legal and illegal immigrants are overwhelming us. This "guest-worker" plan would only consume additional resources.

The Bush program relies heavily upon employers to report both participants in the guest- worker program, as well as workers in violation of their visas. If the current illegal workforce residing within our borders is any indication of the effectiveness of employer sanctions as incentive to enforce immigration laws, it should be clear that a different enforcement and worker protection mechanism should be included in any reform plan.

Needed Action

Contact your Member of Congress and express concern over the broken U.S. immigration system. You may also call or write the White House.