I never said that we should offer guest-worker status to people who come here illegally after a guest worker program is in place. I think it's important that we do not.
That's why I think we should have the guest worker program in place before we try to control the border. We need to have a way to know who the ones already here are, and where they work.
Employers who don't register guest workers within a reasonable time (a month or two) should be severely punished if they are found to have undocumented workers. If the only way to get a job is through a guest worker program, illegal immigration will definitely slow down.
Employers were the key to the success of the guest worker programs we had in the past, and I think they are the only way to have a successful program now.
Even offering it to illegals who arrive before the program is in place will do nothing to slow down illegal entry.
And holding out the possibility to those who are contemplating illegal entry, that they might be able to participate in the program if they make it into the country before the program goes into effect, will encourage them to try to enter illegally.
This of course is completely separate from the question of whether to offer it to aliens who haven't yet entered the country, as a way of allowing them to enter legally. That's not what I'm commenting on here.