President Bush today proposed a temporary worker program that would grant legal status to millions of undocumented workers in the United States. Mr. Bush asked Congress to work with him in reforming the U.S. immigration system, which he said is not working.
“Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs that Americans are not filling,” said Bush. “Our nation needs an immigration system that serves the American economy, and reflects the American Dream.”
The program would match willing foreign workers with willing U.S. employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. It offers legal status, as temporary workers, to the millions of undocumented workers now employed in the United States, and to those in foreign countries who seek to participate in the program and have been offered employment in the country. The legal status granted by the program will last three years and would be renewable, but not permanent.
The program expects temporary workers to return permanently to their home countries after their period of work in the United States has expired.
All participants would be issued a temporary worker card that would allow them to travel back and forth between their home and the United States without fear of being denied re-entry into the country.
“Participants who do not remain employed, who do not follow the rules of the program, or who break the law will not be eligible for continued participation and will be required to return to their home,” the President said.
The President said he does not support amnesty because individuals who violate America’s laws should not be rewarded for illegal behavior.
“I oppose amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship,” he said. “Granting amnesty encourages the violation of our laws, and perpetuates illegal immigration. America is a welcoming country, but citizenship must not be the automatic reward for violating the laws of America.”
Bush said his proposals bring economic benefits to America and secure our borders by providing better accountability for those who enter the United States. He said law enforcement will face fewer problems with undocumented workers, and will be better able to focus on the true threats to the United States from criminals and terrorists.
(via The White House)
22 responses so far ↓
Ernesto // Jan 7, 2004 at 5:29 pm
While all the details of the program are not known, this program sounds like a win for all foreigners who see the US as a place for opportunity. The President of Mexico has been lobbying hard for programs such as this but his timing was off. It is a little suspect that President Bush is proposing this around the time he will begin campaigning for re-election.
Larry Glenn // Jan 9, 2004 at 5:18 am
It is outrageous that President Bush would offer such an amnesty program to people that have broke into this country and stolen jobs from American citizens. As an American citizen, I don’t owe illegal aleins anything. These cost us billions of dollars each year and bring down our standard of living. GO HOME!
Ernesto // Jan 9, 2004 at 8:28 am
Larry,
I am curious what jobs specifically were stolen from americans. This program covers jobs that are left unfilled by americans… you know picking fruit for 12 hours a day for less than minimum wage. When was the last time you saw an american aspiring to fill that job or when was the last time you saw an american born citizen looking to clean your room at a hotel.
From the mouth of Bush
“Second, new immigration laws should serve the economic needs of our country. If an American employer is offering a job that American citizens are not willing to take, we ought to welcome into our country a person who will fill that job.”
There is a market for cheap labor in the US but americans are generally only willing to work for minimum wage at stores like wal-mart, target etc…. Illegal immigrants rarely take jobs that Americans are looking for, and this program is not for those jobs.
It is odd that you mention standard of living. These immigrants raise it by providing labor at rates that are often less than minimum wage or minimum wage. This allows you to buy fruits at a cost less than what it would be if an american wanted the job of fruit picker and meat packer and was paid the true market rate with benefits and periodic raises.
aj // Jan 27, 2004 at 9:24 am
We have been invaded and now support illegal aliens. School Districts here in Illinois are going bankrupt supporting all the Mexican national’s kids. We have multiple families living in single taxed family homes and these homes send several familes worth of kids into our schools. We are paying for bilingual teachers to ‘attempt’ to teach these kids and now in frustration the schools are talking about teaching these kids in spanish and forget the ‘english’. Illegal aliens have broken our laws by them even being in this country, why don’t we just enforce the laws on the books, even if it’s not P.C.
Wendy // Jan 29, 2004 at 7:54 am
AJ is worried about how Mexican nationals are causing the school systems in Illinois. Has he thought about how many undocumented workers are working and paying taxes into our government (federal and State taxes) and will not get any benefit of these taxes (social security, medicaid, medicare, welfare, etc). The number of undocumented workers in this country far outweigh the number of “Mexican national” school children. President Bush’s proposed program will allow them to come here legally and work jobs that American workers will not work.
If the undocumented workers did not come here and work these corporations would have to move somewhere else (maybe Mexico) to find workers that will work the jobs. This would cause a loss of jobs in the US b/c not only will the “laborers” not be coming from the US but the managers and supervisors will more than likely be from the country the corporation chooses to move to. The US would also loose the taxes the workers pay.
BE REALISTIC! They are not going to leave, so making them able to come here and work legally is the best solution.
Victoria Santivanez // Mar 4, 2004 at 1:25 pm
I do not believe that this program will benefit any immigrant. First of all they would become “second-class” workers and if they want to stablish any residency they would have to compete with immigrants of other countries for a lottery visa. Something should be done for the immigrants that are already here. This is not a amnesty, this is a way to get rid of people who work hard and a great majority pay taxes, just like anyone else. I do not support this program and personally I would like to see it die.
julie // Apr 4, 2004 at 12:43 pm
It is ironic that any person living in the United States would be opposed to immigration. Undocumented immigrants are illegal only because the laws have changed. The same democrats, republicans, conservatives et al are all offsprings of ‘illegal’ immigrants, because they all came the exact same way the undocumented immigrants of today came. As a matter of fact,many of them came without passports or other forms of documentatio. The only people who can cast a stone, are the native American Indians.
karla // Apr 8, 2004 at 10:37 am
I WILL LIKE TO KNOW MORE
Alphonse d'souza // May 5, 2004 at 4:10 pm
TO TALK THE TRUTH,THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE INTRODUCED NOT ONLY TO LEGALLY AND TEMPORARILY GRANT WORK PERMITS TO THE ILLEGAL AND THOSE WHO HAVE OVERSTAYED THEIR VISAS;BUT TO EXPOSE THE TERRORISTS HIDING AMONGST US IN UNITED STATES.INFACT PEOPLE SHOULD BE FINGER-PRINTED ALL OVER SUDDEN IN WORK PLACES AND THEIR FINGERPRINTS SENT TO THEIR COUNTRIES OF ORIGINS TO EXPOSE THEIR REAL IDENTITY BECAUSE MANY HAVE PASSPORTS THAT ARE NOT THEIRS OR THEY FAKED AND CHANGED NAMES AFTER BEING DENIED VISAS IN THEIR COUNTRIES.THE WORK PERMIT PLAN WON’T WORK BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK PRESIDENT BUSH WANTS TO SET UP A TRAP TO REACH THEM AND HAVE THEM DEPORTED.THOSE WHO HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCE CARDS ARE BETTER OFF BECAUSE THEIR FINGERPRINTS AND THEIR RECORDS FROM HOME ARE TRANSFERRED TO UNITED STATES BY THE I.N.S.LET’S UNEARTH AND KNOW BETTER WHO AND WHO IS IN THE U.S.BECAUSE A TERRORIST HAS NO MARK ON THE FORE HEAD.
hemingway // Jun 10, 2004 at 8:24 pm
Well Mr. Glen I do not think so.
American citizens know they need immigrants in order to make their economy prosperous yet they refuse to have them in their community(or society)
It seems so ironic to me, that some “ignorant” people actually want immigrants to “go home” because it was the immigrants who took all the jobs that “they(citizens)” didn’t want to do
or were too lazy to do.
ken bin // Jul 27, 2004 at 2:58 pm
This will open the doors for millions of more illegal immigrants.
b miller // Sep 7, 2004 at 11:24 am
Sometimes I wonder who is running this country, President Fox, or President Bush. When you don’t pay income tax. or social security,get free health care. free schooling for your children . you can work for minimum wages.
Tom // Sep 8, 2004 at 10:51 am
the only people who want these guys here are the ones that don’t have to compete with them for the jobs,and don’t live anywere around them.the people of california showed how we felt about this.that just shows that they are above us in our own governments eyes
Simon Nava // Oct 18, 2004 at 6:43 pm
Why is there so much hate against immigrants? Give them an opportunity! These are people just like you, with the same flesh! Immigrants are willing to help this country in every way possible. They come to this country because the living standards in their home are just too unfair. Just as you want to live in a fair democracy, they that as well. Aren’t you all proud about the fact that the US the most powerful country in the world? If you are, then be very proud about the fact that immigrants helped this country to be what it is today.
GOD had created US EQUAL // Nov 10, 2004 at 8:17 am
What if you don’t have HOME ???!!!
Ron // Nov 23, 2004 at 7:07 am
It seems to me that we’re overlooking one major factor in allowing illegal immigrants. They’re draining our natural resources - - which in some instances are already stretched thin.
Have you ever experienced a blackout due to insufficient ability on the part of the power company to deliver the demand?
And, how many areas of our country have insufficient water and must bring in water from other areas. And now, we want to increase this demand?
Last of all, the traffic on our highways is up as many more vehicles are on the road straining the highway system. When you’re sitting in a traffic jam you can thank our leaders of government who brought in millions of immigrants to use these highways.
We need to provide for Americans, not illegal immigrants.
crissy // Mar 2, 2005 at 12:26 pm
You know what I think that us the illegal people would do the jobs that you Americans would not do Larry Glenn the only opporunity that we was not given was being born the US but I don’t see why if we are willing to work and file out taxes just as any other American citizen why we should not have the opporunity to work. Even if you are working illegal in the US we still pay taxes that we cannot reclaim, that is money that’s helping the economy so all you citizen who don’t like us i really don’t give rat’s ___ because some of you don’t do anything for your country as call sorry ____ American.
Bryce Campbell // Mar 23, 2005 at 12:37 pm
I see lots of peripheral, shallow and irrelevant answers to the Guest Worker Permit.
But not much discussion of the core issues, such as:
Why do they want to work here temporarily.? Answer: Jobs, and better Jobs.
Why are they fleeing Mexico and similar?
Answer: Bad Government, Bad jobs, No jobs, No freedom, No economic freedom.
Why are more people fleeing Mexico than used to flee from European Socialism?
Answer: Mexican Socialism and Corruption are worse than European? USA is closer to Mexico?
Why shouldn’t Temporary Workers pay US social security taxes?Answer: They should, they receive most of the benefits, ie, military defense, roads, hospitals, schools, shopping, freedom.
During previous Mexican Green Card Programs, didn’t the US government remit Social Security payments to the Mexican Government? Answer: Yes
What happened to that money sent to the Mexican Government? Answer: It was stolen from the Mexican Bank.
Who stole it? Answer: The Mexican government says they don’t know.
Should we collect social security taxes and local taxes to the various US, State, County, School and City (ie, sales taxes) from the temporary workers? Answer: Yes, they are temporarily using the services. Also, if we send them to Mexico they will be stolen again.
Should temporary workers be given preference for naturalization? Answer: Different subject, they can do what they wish in normal fashion regarding becoming citizens of the USA.
Thanks,
Bryce Campbell
HG // Mar 31, 2005 at 12:02 pm
The cheap prices of goods and services is the result of cheap labor. This makes the American economy strong competitive. The president’s program will help undocumented workers contribute to the economy.
goodluck samuel // Jun 10, 2005 at 5:29 am
i want work an live in usa.
brandy // Aug 13, 2005 at 9:23 am
this is a comment to Larry Glenn…I am an American citizen who works for a company that employs LEGAL immigrants and I know for a fact these workers are doing jobs MOST Americans are unwilling to do. When a company places an ad for 820 workers and has not 1 NOT 1 American applicant who are they stealing jobs from? If these people did not come here and work legal or otherwise where do you think the American economy would be? We want everything to be cheaper but we don’t want to personally do the labor for cheaper. I agree that if the foreign workers aspire to be here they should be treated with the same expectations as Americans, paying taxes being the most prominent expectation and if these workers are allowed here legally they can be tracked and be required to pay taxes which a lot of illegals are paid under the table with no contribution to the tax payer system. Who do you think plants 3,000 trees per day so we can have the abundance of paper products we have? Not Americans. I know I personally do not want to be outside 10 hours a day carrying hundreds of pine seedlings on my back. Companies who bring in foreign guest workers are regulated by the DOL they have to prove they have tried to fill jobs with American workers before they are even granted the ability to apply for foreign workers.
Paulo Paulada // Nov 16, 2005 at 8:14 pm
I came from Brazil in 1999 to study and after that my visa expired and I had spend 3 and half years been legal here at USA but one day I had to go home for good and I said ” there’s no way to go home and get the money that I spent at school” so I started to work and some people like you Mr. Larry Glenn had called a MONKEY and told me to go back to the rain florest and my answer was ” I AM HERE TO MAKE THE MONEY THAT YOU CAN NOT DO.
I hope mr BUSH think a little bit more about “his” country cause with out a “MONKEYS” the circus go out of businnes.
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