 PRESIDENT BUSH VISITS PRESIDENT FOX, IMMIGRATION A MAJOR TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
This Friday, US President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox met at Fox’s ranch in San Cristobal in the state of Guanajuato. One of the topics discussed was immigration, particularly the creation of a new guest worker program for agricultural workers. Also, officials announced that an “immigration working group” consisting of cabinet members from both countries would be formed to provide an ongoing forum for discussion of immigration issues.
Shortly before the meeting, the United States-Mexico Migration Panel, a binational group with 30 members, made a number of recommendations for an immigration agreement between the two counties. According to the group, it should include the following:
The legalization of most of the undocumented workers in the US, whether providing them temporary or permanent residence
Making visas more available to Mexican citizens
More cooperation between Mexican and US law enforcement to counter human smuggling
Working to improve Mexico’s economy, especially in areas that send many immigrants to the US
Support for a guest worker program is growing, but there remains a fundamental difference of opinion between Democratic and Republican lawmakers. While Democrats want to see such workers eventually eligible for permanent residency, Republicans are opposed to such a plan. It was just such a disagreement that killed a similar plan last year. President Fox strongly supports such a program, believing that it would cut down on undocumented immigration, and would benefit the US by reducing the costs associated with border control.
While Gramm’s program has not yet been introduced as a bill, it is expected that it would offer one-year visas, first to undocumented Mexican workers already in the US, then to those in Mexico. After the expiration of the visa, the workers would be required to return to Mexico. It would also increase the penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers. Bush has not come out in support of Gramm’s program, but expanding guest worker programs was a major topic in his campaign.
Another immigration topic that was expected to be discussed at the meeting was undocumented immigration to the US from Mexico. Fox has done much to reach out to undocumented immigrants, and he is expected to ask for Bush’s help in increasing Mexican wages to the point where people do not feel they need to go to the US to make a decent living. However, he does admit that such efforts would take years to make a difference.
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