Bush plan sparks debate (Tyson Applauds Plan)

Omaha World-Herald ^ | January 8, 2004 | STEVE JORDON AND PAUL GOODSELL

[sarcasm]

The Midlands' illegal immigrants - 27,000 strong in Nebraska and another 27,000 in Iowa - probably are discussing, not celebrating, President George Bush's proposed changes to federal immigration laws.

The plan's key provision would let today's illegal immigrants apply for three-year work permits that would legalize their presence but would require them to return to their home countries eventually.

Omahan Ed Leahy, a former priest who is an advocate for immigrants, said Bush's plan would create a "permanent underclass" of low-wage workers who could be rotated in and out of the United States.

Such workers and their families would have no assurance of permanent legal status, said Leahy, coordinator for the Immigrant Rights Network of Iowa and Nebraska.

"If you are a willing worker, you're welcome to work but not to stay," he said. "That's the wrong message. His program doesn't offer any real path to permanency."

Bush's proposal, which is subject to debate and action by Congress, would let temporary workers apply for residency or citizenship, but they would have no advantage over other applicants.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce "strongly welcomed" Bush's proposal, saying the workers could fill "vital roles in our economy" legally.

Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. of Dakota Dunes, S.D., which employs many immigrants in Nebraska and Iowa, said in a statement: "We applaud the White House for taking action on this critical issue. The American economy deserves an immigration policy that allows willing, able and legal applicants access to the jobs we have available, without U.S. employers being burdened with the primary responsibility for determining who is legally eligible to work."

Mexican President Vicente Fox said Bush's plan would recognize "the value of these Mexicans who find themselves working there in the United States" by trying to give all of them "all the rights that any worker has in that country, although they are not American nationals or do not have documents at this moment."

In Mexico, some workers were excited about the possibility of crossing the U.S. border legally to look for work while maintaining a life in Mexico, but they also worried about competition from other foreign job applicants.

Cecilia Olivarez Huerta, executive director of the Mexican American Commission in Lincoln, said the proposal is "very weak."

"Many people are going to be very, very disappointed," she said. Under the program, the temporary workers could take only jobs that citizens and legal residents didn't want.

"What jobs are those?" Huerta asked. "Those are the worst jobs that anybody could have. . . . It still promotes this stereotype that Mexicans or Latinos are below standard, that they only can fill the lowest-paying, lowest jobs."

People who want to work a few years in the United States and then return home might be pleased, she said, but those who have built lives in the United States won't embrace a plan that means they must leave the country.

Jose Cuevas, the Mexican government's consul stationed in Omaha, said Bush's plan "sounds promising" and would end uncertainty for people who are in the Midlands without documents.

But he said many Hispanics had hoped that Bush would endorse a program that would let them more readily gain permanent residency.

"Obviously, a lot of details have to be worked out," Cuevas said. "It's nothing to have a party for yet. There's a long fight ahead."

David Ray, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington, D.C., said Bush's proposal amounts to an amnesty that would reward illegal workers and attract more foreign workers to compete with unemployed citizens.

"We need foreign guest workers like we need a hole in our head," Ray said.

Employers can raise wages to attract workers, he said, while the temporary immigrant workers would depress wages and worsen working conditions.

Terry Moore, president of the Omaha Federation of Labor, said Bush's earlier labor initiatives have hurt workers by cutting back on overtime pay and allowing jobs in manufacturing and other sectors to be shifted to foreign countries.

"You can see why George Bush is doing this," Moore said. "He's trying to enhance the Latino vote. There's no compassion in his heart for the working class. This is an effort that he's doing for the employer, not for the worker."

Omaha lawyer Vard Johnson, who represents illegal immigrants, said many illegal immigrants would sign up for the temporary permits.

"I think it has a very good chance of passing," said Johnson, a former state senator. "Our country simply cannot continue down the path of not acknowledging the presence of so many folk who are industrious, hard-working, contributing people but who are here illegally."

The program may push up wages and costs to consumers, Johnson said. "But we're a far better society when there is less opportunity to exploit human need."

Omaha union organizer Pat Nilsen said he thinks Bush's proposal could help undocumented workers. "If they were permitted to stay in this country legally, they would be more willing to stand up for their rights."

The Carpenters Union turned down more than 100 would-be apprentices last year because no work was available, he said. Yet on some of the biggest construction projects in the city, including the new Omaha Arena and Convention Center, subcontractors hired labor contractors who brought in workers - many of them undocumented - to spend thousands of hours hanging drywall.

"We believe there are (American) workers out there," Nilsen said. "But employers want to use the undocumented workers and exploit them and pay them low wages."

If all workers can legally accept jobs, he said, "workers will get the jobs based on their merits, their ability to perform, and not on their status of being in the country."

[KantianBurke]

"We believe there are (American) workers out there," Nilsen said. "But employers want to use the undocumented workers and exploit them and pay them low wages."

And Bush's plan changes the equation how exactly? Harsh talking to? Time out in the corner?

[Coop]

"If you are a willing worker, you're welcome to work but not to stay," he said. "That's the wrong message. His program doesn't offer any real path to permanency."

That's just plain wrong. This guy is an advocate for immigrants, and he doesn't even know the basics? Poor immigrants.

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[Petronski]

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