Guest Worker Reform
I believe that any long-term solution to illegal
immigration must include reform of our current
Guest Worker programs.
These programs allow domestic employers, in industries such as agriculture and
hospitality, to hire temporary foreign workers if they are unable to find U.S.
workers to meet demand. Employers interested in participating in the program
must first apply to the U.S. Department of Labor for a certification that U.S.
workers capable of performing the work are not available and that employment of
alien workers will not adversely affect the pay and working conditions of
similarly employed U.S. workers. The temporary guest workers must return home to
their country of origin once their temporary visa expires.
However, I am opposed to any Guest Worker proposal which grants amnesty to
illegal immigrants. Guest worker proposals, such as
President Bush’s plan, are not amnesty programs because illegal aliens will
not be granted automatic and immediate legal status. They would only be eligible
to receive a temporary worker visa, and the ability to apply later on for
permanent legal status, where they will not get to “cut in line” in front of
existing applicants. There is no guarantee that they would ever obtain permanent
legal status in the U.S. Additionally, his proposal requires that a specific job
be lined up for any incoming immigrant worker before they enter the country, and
would create a new electronic database system to track temporary migrants, to
ensure that they return to their home country as scheduled.
I look forward to an open debate in Congress on all Guest Worker reform
proposals to fight illegal immigration and work to secure our borders, while
modernizing the system to provide opportunities for those who would like to
legally find work in the U.S.
