 Employers,
activists split on Bush Temp worker plan
NOV 30: An estimated 10 percent of restaurant workers in the
United States are in the country without documentation,
according to a 2002 study from the Pew Hispanic Center in
Washington, D.C.
Some 25 percent of private household workers — maids,
nannies — are illegal immigrants, as well. The same study
estimated there are millions of undocumented workers in
manufacturing and construction.
Bush Temporary Worker plan promises to bring all the
undocumented immigrants "out of the shadows" and into the
tax base while tightening the borders to stop illegal
immigrants from entering the country.
Even though most undocumented Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and
Indians do not typically cross the Mexican border to enter
United States, some do from the Canadian border - and end up
mostly in large metropolitan cities like New York and
Chicago. These undocumented South Asians (desis) will
benefit from the Bush plan too.
However, there were differing opinions as to whether Bush's
temporary work program would have an effect on the US labor
market.
A poll conducted last month by the New York City-based
Manhattan Institute showed support for "earned legalization"
for undocumented workers — as long as tightening the borders
are part of the deal.
Eighty-four percent of registered Republicans polled said
they believe it is impossible to deport the estimated 11
million illegal immigrants living in the country.
But some, like Danbury (CT) Mayor Mark Boughton have
questioned the wisdom of the Bush immigration plan. He
doubted whether foreign-born workers in the country without
documentation would ever return to their home country,
reported The News-Times on Tuesday."Nobody ever goes
back, that's the problem," Boughton said to the paper. "I'd
like to see something where the people who are here now can
become legal and get into the system."
The Bush plan would pair "guest workers" — men and women
living in the country without proper immigration papers —
with the employers for whom they already work.
After paying an undisclosed fee, the worker would be
allowed to stay in the country legally for three years, with
the possibility of staying another three years. The worker
would have to return to his or her home country for one year
between the three-year stints.
Ultimately, Bush wants the workers to return permanently
to their home countries. His plan would include incentives,
such as setting up retirement accounts in the immigrants'
homelands, to persuade them to return home.
In statements promoting the plan, Bush administration
officials have repeatedly said undocumented workers play a
key role in the economy by filling jobs most Americans don't
want.
That's the truth, said Dick Tice, executive director of
the Connecticut Grounds Keepers Association in Prospect to
the Connecticut-based paper.
"Labor is one of our toughest things," Tice said. "Nobody
wants to be out there when it's 90 degrees and the humidity
is through the roof. It's very, very tough to keep people.
The college kid says he doesn't mind, but the first day it
hits 90 degrees, he's gone."
Tice said Bush's plan could level the playing field
between landscape companies who hire undocumented workers
and those who do not. The ones who hire illegally, pay their
workers less and the workers usually do not pay income
taxes, Tice said.
Bush
tries to sell "Temporary Worker Program"
NOV 29: US President George W Bush said he wants to crack
down on those who enter the country illegally but also give
out more visas to foreigners with jobs, a dual plan he hopes
will appease the social conservatives and business leaders
who are his core supporters.
The touchy issue of immigration has divided lawmakers on
Capitol Hill.
The idea for temporary worker visas has been especially
divisive and is stalled in Congress. Bush said he does not
support amnesty for illegal immigrants, but he does want to
give foreign workers a way to earn an honest living doing
jobs that other Americans are unwilling to do and issue more
Green Cards granting permanent resident status.
"Listen, there's a lot of opinions on this proposal," Bush
said. "I understand that, but people in this debate must
recognize that we will not be able to effectively enforce
our immigration laws until we create a temporary worker
program."
Bush's initiative grants illegal immigrants temporary
residence for three years if they find jobs rejected by US
citizens. The permit to reside and work in the US can be
extended for another three years. He says
it would help U.S. enforcement of the border because it
brings illegals "out of the shadows."
But immigrants regard the reform with some suspicion
because, although it grants them a permit to work and reside
legally in the country, it is a mechanism to control 12
million illegal immigrants who live on US territory, 50
percent of whom are Mexicans.
Analysts say that the White House considers that the
migration reform might give the Republican Party the votes
it needs to remain a majority in Congress in the 2006
elections.
They base that assertion on the fact that 51 percent of US
citizens want illegal immigration to decrease, especially in
Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. However, that
demand is gaining ground in Mississippi, Utah, Alabama and
Georgia.
For the past year, Bush has
been unable to get the House and Senate to sign off on a
main part of his immigration proposal — his guest worker
plan for foreigners. (Agencies)
Bush
seeks momentum for 'Temporary Worker Program'
NOV 28: President Bush plans to address an issue that has
divided some members of his own Republican Party -- illegal
immigration.
After spending the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with family
at his Crawford ranch, the president will visit Tucson,
Arizona, on Monday, and El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday.
According to reports, he plans to make a speech on
immigration. It will focus on two other areas besides
temporary worker program: border security and enforcement.
Agency reports quote a senior official saying Bush will talk about his proposal
for a temporary worker program that would allow illegal
immigrants to obtain legal status. The president first
introduced the idea in January 2004.
Bush proposed changing U.S. immigration laws to allow
illegal immigrants to obtain legal status as temporary
workers in jobs U.S. employers were unable to fill with
Americans.
The plan would allow undocumented workers to obtain
three-year temporary visas, renewable once. After those
visas expire, the workers could apply for U.S. citizenship
but would not be given preferential treatment over others.
But some conservatives have fiercely opposed the program,
viewing it as a form of amnesty for people who have entered
the U.S. illegally.
Because of that, one GOP analyst said, the Bush
administration has a delicate balance to strike in appeasing
those conservatives by talking tough on border security
without alienating Hispanics, women and swing voters.
Meanwhile, Bush is also getting
resistance from industries that rely on foreign workers.
They say illegals have become a significant part of the
economy. About half the nation's nearly 2 million farm
workers are illegal immigrants, and they were in such short
supply last year that farmers in California had to extend
the harvest season and still lost crops.
Undocumented desis from South Asian countries, specially
Pakistanis, Afghanis and Bangladeshis would benefit from
such a program.
Most undocumented desis, according to one finding, are
clustered around big metropolitan cities like New York,
Chicago, California, Texas and Florida, who have overstayed
their political asylum permit, or have chosen to overstay
due to economic reasons.
In addition, Bush will talk about adding beds to detention
facilities "so we aren't catching and releasing illegal
immigrants."
A majority of Americans did not favor Bush's plan, according
to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll which was conducted in
January 2004.
Fifty-five percent of the respondents had
said they disapproved of the new proposal. Asked if the
United States should make it easier for illegal immigrants
to become U.S. citizens, 74 percent said no. A similar
number, 77 percent, said immigrants do not take jobs U.S.
workers want.
The poll was conducted by telephone between January 9 and
11 2004 at the time of the Summit of the Americas in Mexico
and included interviews with 1,003 adult Americans. It had a
margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
No recent poll has been conducted or its result available at
this time.
New bill would let some immigrants gain legal status
NOV 27: United States Senator Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, is
co-sponsoring legislation that would permit undocumented
(illegal) immigrants who grew up in the United States to
become legal citizens.
Under the bill, which was introduced a week and a half
ago, youths who complete high school or the equivalent would
earn conditional legal status. They then would be given six
years to earn a college degree, complete trade school
training or join the military. After that, the immigrants'
status would become permanent, clearing the way for them to
seek U.S. citizenship, reports Kentucky based newspaper
The Courier-Journal on Sunday.
About 50,000 undocumented (illegal) immigrants graduate
from high schools annually, according to Senator Lugar
"However, without legal status, they cannot secure a job
or afford to attend college," he said in a statement. "This
measure will provide these young people with an incentive to
move towards permanent residency while pursuing an education
or other worthwhile service."
Post Sept 11, many South Asian children, with or without
their parents have either gone back or moved to Canada,
having taken political asylums or waiting to get their cases
approved by Canadian authorities.
The bill, if passed, would particularly benefit undocumented
desi immigrant students in New York, California and
few other states which allow their schooling.
Senators Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, and Richard Durbin,
D-Illinois, are co-sponsors with Lugar of the Development,
Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.
Lugar, 73 is Indiana's
longest serving senator, is one of the most popular
politicians in state history and appears poised for a
stroll to a sixth term, says one news report.
Pakistani-American
activist picked up by FBI
Nov 26: A prominent activist of the Pakistani community in
Texas was arrested this week apparently for not having
proper legal status for staying in the United States.
Khalid Ali was talking to a group of friends outside the
Shahnai restaurant in Houston, Texas, when some FBI
officials approached him and asked him to accompany them.
“They told us that he is wanted for some investigation,”
said Tariq Khan, one of the friends Mr Ali was talking to
when taken into custody. “They gave no further information.”
Later, some friends learned that the FBI was investigating
his status in the US. Although he was arrested on Tuesday
night, his friends have not been able to get more
information about the action, partly because of the long
Thanksgiving holidays in the United States.
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