The Bush Proposal (Interesting article by Linda Chavez on the Immigration Proposal)

Town Hall ^ | Jan 8, 2004 | Linda Chavez

[PhiKapMom]

The Bush proposal

Linda Chavez

January 8, 2004

President Bush announced a sweeping new immigration reform proposal this week that could become a hot-button issue in the November election. For months, insiders have hinted that the president would propose a new guest worker program aimed at allowing more foreign workers into the country on a temporary basis. Widely favored by the American business community, a guest worker program would allow employers to fill jobs in industries that routinely experience shortages of workers willing to do the often difficult, dangerous jobs Americans shun -- at least at wages that allow employers to remain in business.

But the guest worker provisions won't be the most controversial part of the administration's new proposal. Although some groups that want to limit immigration altogether -- such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) -- oppose guest worker plans, even such staunch restrictionists as Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) are on record supporting the idea of guest workers. The real battle will be over what to do with those millions of illegal aliens who are already here.

Some 8-12 million illegal aliens reside in the United States now -- up three- or four-fold from a decade ago. An estimated 60 percent of these are from Mexico alone, and it is no accident that the Bush plan was announced in anticipation of the president's meeting with his Mexican counterpart, President Vicente Fox, next week. The White House announced less than a week before the Fox meeting that millions of illegal aliens from Mexico and elsewhere will be allowed, over time, to earn legal status in the U.S., so long as they have been working continuously, paid taxes and not broken other laws. The plan will impose some penalties on these workers -- most likely fines similar to those proposed in legislation sponsored by Republican Representatives Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe and Senator John McCain, all from Arizona.

These proposals may not offer perfect justice -- who can blame those who resent rewarding "line jumpers" with legal status while millions of other would-be immigrants wait patiently to enter the country legally. But "earned legalization" is probably the best solution to a largely intractable problem. There is no way that the United States can find and deport 8-12 million illegal aliens in this country, and even if we could, we would do more harm than good.

The American economy depends on these workers, who, along with legal immigrants, contributed significantly to the economic boon of the 1990s. If FAIR could wave a magic wand and make these illegal aliens disappear overnight, the rest of us would suffer by having to pay more for everything from the food we put on the table to the houses in which we live. Our office buildings wouldn't get cleaned, our crops wouldn't get picked, our meat wouldn't get processed, nor our tables cleaned when we go out to eat.

Sure, we could double wages to attract American-born workers to some of these jobs, but at even twice the salary it would be difficult to fill the nastiest of these tasks, like processing poultry. But why would we want American workers, who we've spent trillions of dollars educating for 13 or 14 years, on average, to perform jobs that require only the most minimal skills? Even if we got rid of all illegal aliens in the U.S., these jobs would likely go to foreign workers, like it or not.

What sense does it make to insist that we get rid of the very people doing these jobs now in order to make way for other foreign workers to take them under a new guest worker plan? It makes a lot more sense to figure out how to get those illegal aliens already employed at these jobs to come in from the shadows and become part of the legal system. They should pay a penalty for having broken the law in the first place by sneaking into the country or overstaying their visas, but it is better for all of us if they earn their way toward legal status than remain in the illegal netherworld where they now hide.

Linda Chavez is President of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a Townhall.com member organization.

[swarthyguy]

No employers will ever be penalised.

Even under the H1B program, you had to "show" that you couldn't "find" an American with Oracle/Java?Web/Y2k skills.

That is such a crock that statement that employers will first have to offer the job to Americans.

I mean, I understand why this AMNESTY is being offered, but I hate the BS associated with it.

And now the Dems will turn on the pressure to turn this into something other than a guest worker program.

But expecting politicians not to lie or shave the truth is asking too much.

I don't expect anything on the enforcement front. That's just a sop to those aganst this bill.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

They are deportable... when their parents aren't citizens, the children can be deported back with the parents... or the parents can leave them here. I haven't heard of many cases were the illegal immigrant parents leave their children behind and stick them in a foster home.

[PuNcH]

President Reagan is a glorified icon here on FR (I love him, too)- yet he gave a total amnesty in 1986, I believe. I see no hatred for him here about that. That's why I question how many of the people here trashing President Bush are truly Republicans in the first place.

OH please, the numbers of illegals was around 300k. The amnesty pulled in around 3 million. It was a big mistake. Now we can learn from our mistakes. Right? Ooops no, wrong.

[futureceo31]

I was responding to a post about people coming here 200 years ago...:) I guess your ancestors are native american.
Coming back to the health care issue, there are no laws demanding that a health care facility demand to see some proof wether someone is a legal or illegal immigrant and I know that hospitals cannot refuse to see someone if they are in an emergency situation.BUt I would think that there should be a legislation for this.
Your point about the health care sysem going broke because illegals are using them in droves seems fallacious as I would like to see numbers of how many of the people using emergency rooms are illegals. But it is a slap in the face to me wether it is an illegal or legal citizen who gets to use free services when I am paying an arm and a leg for my health care. But then what is the solution for that?

But doesnt the hospital determine this? If I remember correctly, conservatives were against this idea and most state governments controlled by liberals wrote this into law. I would think most hospitals would be against this but anyways,
Also, we all know that the health care system is going broke but the opposition's solution to this is pour massive amounts of money and give health care to everyone.

[futureceo31]

Go round and round the mulberry bush is what it looks like...:)

[navyblue]

Prosecute those who hire illegal aliens and the problem will dry up at its source.

Exactly!

And what was it they said in that baseball movie? Something about If you build it, they will come!

I suggest - - If you do not build it, they will not come.

[txdoda]

The key is jobs..... control the employment process and you can control much of the immigration levels...>>>>>

Didn't GWB just announce that the NEW, nation-wide 'verification hot line' was a tool employers could use VOLUNTARILY to verify their new employees ??

If your *serious* about 'legal' employment this check should be MANDATORY.

[PuNcH]

If I am not mistaken, there are strict penalties for employers who hire illegals in the proposed legislation.

Great! Thats all we mostly need. Now we just need to take them off of govt handouts and we can throw the rest of the proposal out.

[futureceo31]

The fact of the matter is that we and the ones who care are discussing this on threads like this and expressing our viewpoints and getting them known to our reps and senators and trying to address issues that are problems. And we have a president that is also trying to "Propose" ideas to address this problem. Compare it to the opposition who are just beating to the tune of a different drum that squarely puts them in the very very minority of this country.
We can disagree on the nuances of the policy but at least GWB is addressing the problem. Give it to the DIMs and they advocate total amnesty with ability to get welfare, citiezenship rights and fast track to citizenship... The difference is clear as night and day.

[futureceo31]

If it were that simple, we wouldnt be here discussing this issue and we would have law enforcement taking care of the problem. But I am curious to know how someone finds out if an employer is hiring illegals.

[jpsb]

We were told in 86 that this was a ONE TIME FIX ONLY, that in the future the border would be secured and that employers would face BIG penalties for hiring illegals. In short we were lied to big time. No mass.

[ravingnutter]

Many of the issues you bring up are in the Tancredo bill... military enforcement of the border, increase in agents and officers, increase in detention facilities, employer provided health care, even the "anchor baby" problem.While it does not state that it eliminates EOIR, it does state:

`(2) subject to section 241(a)(8), may release the alien on bond of at least $10,000, with security approved by, and containing conditions prescribed by, the Secretary of Homeland Security, but the Secretary shall not release the alien on or to his own recognizance unless an order of an immigration judge expressly finds that the alien is not a flight risk and is not a threat to the United States

Ouch...not too many illegals could come up with that kind of bond making $2 an hour and I don't think any employer is gonna cover it either.

[navyblue]

Under the circumstances, bringing, say, six million more workers into the Social Security system is not a bad idea. To my mind, this is one of the compelling reasons for normalizing the status from illegal aliens to guest workers.

Then invite well educated, highly skilled, high income potential people from Europe or other areas. Why import more lower social class, with no education, no skills, with little earning potential who will likely end up on assistance?

[MEGoody]

"The problem from a business perspective is that you'll have a huge influx of minimum wage workers - and all the incumbent social and political problems that go along withy it(more welfare and other government programs and democrat/labor union votes)."

Workers don't get welfare. Not sure what other government programs you might be refering to.

I don't know the percentages of illegal immigrants who are members of unions, but I doubt it is very high. Even so, I don't recall anything in this new proposal that allows illegals to vote in U.S. elections, so that's not a problem.

[deport]

Didn't GWB just announce that the NEW, nation-wide 'verification hot line' was a tool employers could use VOLUNTARILY to verify their new employees ??

---

It's not something that simple imo. How do you know that the one showing up at you front door is the one whose name appears on the 'hot line list'? False documentation/IDs/Social Security cards/etc. have been a major problem in this area forever it seems.

I dont' know how it will be handled but verification and registration would go way down the road to solving a lot of the problems, imo. Biometric identification?

[myrabach]

"Prosecute those who hire illegal aliens and the problem will dry up at its source."

This solution hasn't worked yet... any other suggestions?

[Not A Snowbird]

You cannot just walk into a hospital and get health care.

You sure can... these people show up in the emergency room, and the ER is required to treat them. That's why they're such a burden on the system. If they had jobs with health care they would be seeing their primary care physician when they caught a cold, not parking themselves in the ER taking up expensive resources.

[MEGoody]

"Illegals suck up huge amounts of social service tax dollars."

I'm not sure what 'social service tax dollars' you are refering to.

Under this new proposal, working illegals will be paying taxes like everyone else. The proposal is not opening the door to illegals who won't or aren't working.

[MEGoody]

"Illegals suck up huge amounts of social service tax dollars."

I'm not sure what 'social service tax dollars' you are refering to.

Under this new proposal, working illegals will be paying taxes like everyone else. The proposal is not opening the door to illegals who aren't working or won't work.

[ravingnutter]

Please note that Linda Chavez is ignoring two glaring points

And you are ignoring one big point:

The President does not make the law, Congress does!!!!

Now that I have your attention...check out the following link.

Tancredo Guest Worker Proposal