I agree with opening up LEGAL immigration more. This is a country of immigrants and it wouldn't be what it IS without them. It is the ILLEGALS I have trouble with, and a "guest worker" program doesn't address it. In the hands of the left all that is is an amnesty program for those who continue to thumb their noses at our laws.
Sister, it seems to me that the US has been in fact encouraging low skilled immigration, with nearly looking through your fingers when people pass through your southern borders and fill the manual jobs. But people that come abroad to study, are chased out of the country and have no way of extending their stay and work and live like many would like to do.
I think such people would not consider becoming americans until they have one day found out they have stayed for 7 years and like it so much that they don´t see any more any reason to go back. But as they always have to go back, even though they higly skilled labor. It suits my nation fine, because we of course need our people to return, but it seems strange, because as you say, the US is an immigrant country and the most succesful one, because of that.
I must agree with the following statement, though my understanding of your immigration situation is nominal at best, not beeing american:
"Personally I think a combination of all the tough enforcement measures proposed in the House with a guest worker program, possibly even with an amnesty that allows those here illegally w/o other criminal records to be regularized as guest workers (who have to go home after some specified time), but definitely with no amnesty provision that puts them on a track to citizenship, was, and is, the way to go."
These things have not been followed up by our media, what is the situation of the immigration policy of the US now?