By Will Weissert
ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:39 p.m., August 15, 2003
MEXICO CITY – Despite his home state's often-combative relationship with Mexico, a U.S. senator from Texas is pushing hard for greater rights for millions of Mexicans living and working illegally in the United States.
Speaking in Mexico City on Friday, Republican John Cornyn said it was "past time" for his colleagues in Congress to consider legislation making some form of guest-worker program a reality.
"This is an appropriate time to restart negotiations," said Cornyn, who met with Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez during a three-day trip to Mexico's capital.
Last month, Cornyn presented a bill that would provide Mexican workers with a card allowing them to get jobs in the United States and requiring that they be paid at least the minimum wage.
U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe, Rep. Jeff Flake and Sen. John McCain, all Republicans from Arizona, also have presented a guest-worker proposal.
Cornyn said the issue had been delayed for more than two years because of security issues on the border, but said it was time for U.S. authorities to "distinguish between those who would do the United States harm and those who come to make positive contributions."
Adm. James Loy, who is the deputy secretary for Homeland Security, testified before the Intelligence Committee earlier this year that they had reason to believe that al Qaeda had looked at coming across the Mexican border to infiltrate the United States because it would give them greater operational security, I think he said. Do you think that’s a credible threat? Do you have reason to believe that al Qaeda might want to come across our border?
CORNYN: Absolutely. Why not? It’s easy to do.
Do you have any information yourself about that?
CORNYN: I don’t have any information that’s it has actually happened.
What about people telling you that it’s likely to happen?
CORNYN: To me, it’s just obvious, because if you have an open door for someone to walk through, why would you climb over the wall. I think, essentially, our border in between our points of entry are—it’s the wild, wild west.
From Cornyn 2003: "Speaking in Mexico City on Friday, Republican John Cornyn said it was "past time" for his colleagues in Congress to consider legislation making some form of guest-worker program a reality. "
Even Tancredo is for a guest worker program.
Cornyn has tried hard to match enforcement with guest worker program and straddle to difficult contrary agendas.
The issue is in the details of limits, numbers, path to citizenship, etc. Worst-case you get McCain-Kennedy, which gives 12 million a bee-line to jump the immigration line.
Cornyn's is about as limited as you can get while satisfying the contrary demand for matching willing employers and willing workers. (Kyl-Cornyn is the bill.)
IMHO, it should be supported as the best we could hope to get out of the Senate, and one of the few guest worker programs that would be better than status quo.