On January 7, 2004, President George W. Bush addressed the nation from the White House to introduce a major immigration reform proposal that would have dramatic effects on the lives of millions of immigrants residing without legal status in the US. While the program does not goes as far as many immigration advocacy groups had hoped, the program will significantly alter the immigration system in the US and provide opportunities to legalize the status of an estimated 7 to 14 million people who lack legal status.  The President’s announcement was preceded by a press conference with the White House Press Secretary, Scott McClellan, where portions of the new proposal were broadly discussed. 

The President began his remarks by extolling the contributions immigrants make to the US, such as their values, their approach to hard work and the self sacrifices made by foreign active servicemen of the US military.  He stated that immigrants work for and help the US, and the US should have a system of laws that work for immigrants.

He pointed out the problems of the current system, such as the millions of undocumented immigrants and the unknown number of these immigrants who are illegally working in the US, as well as the employers who help these immigrants break US laws by hiring them.  President Bush also pointed out that US citizens are not filling jobs that are being generated, so employers are forced to hire foreign labor.  Another problem is that undocumented workers are afraid to return to their home countries to see their families because they are afraid of being barred from re-entering the US.  The President emphasized that American immigration policy should allow willing immigrants to fill jobs that are unfilled by Americans.

“As a nation that values immigration and depends on immigration, we should have immigration laws that work and make us proud.  Yet today we do not.  Instead we see many employers turning to the illegal labor market.  We see millions of hard working men and women condemned to fear and insecurity in a massive undocumented economy.  Illegal entry across our borders makes more difficult the urgent task of securing the homeland.  The system is not working.”

President Bush outlined a number of basic principles before unveiling his outline for a new visa program. First, he made it clear that America must control its borders, particularly in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Illegal border crossings need to be reduced by developing legal ways for workers to enter the US.

Second, our laws should serve our economic needs. The President indicated that our current immigration laws do not serve the needs of the US economy.  He stated, “Our nation needs an immigration system that serves the American economy and reflects the American dream.”   When there are no American workers available to fill jobs, the country should welcome foreign labor.

Third, citizenship is an unfair reward for those who break our laws. People who break immigration laws should not receive an unfairly easy path to permanent residency and citizenship and should not have an easier time getting a green card than people who have always complied with US immigration laws.

Finally, immigration reform should include incentives for temporary workers to leave the US.

The President then detailed a new temporary worker program that is designed to match “wiling workers with willing employers.” The program is designed to provide legal status to the millions of workers illegally working in the US as well as workers abroad who are seeking employment in the US.

The president also emphasized that a guest worker program should have several characteristics:

1.      The program should be “clear and efficient” and employers should be able to get decisions quickly on bringing in a worker.

2.      Workers in the US must have a job and workers abroad must have a job offer

3.      A worker will be able to procure a three-year, renewable visa. The visa will be lost if the worker is not employed by the sponsoring employer or the worker breaks the law.

4.      Employers will recruit Americans via a government-maintained web site and must first hire willing Americans available to do the job.

5.      Employers will be required to report guest workers who leave their employment.

6.      Workers in the US without status will pay a penalty fee to use the program; workers outside the US will not.

7.      Guest workers will receive a card that will allow them to legally enter and exit the US; reentry bars currently in place for people overstaying visas or who enter the US without authorization would not apply.

8.      Guest workers will have financial incentives to go home. They will get credit for social security payments and will be able to set up savings accounts from which they can draw when they leave the US.

9.      Guest workers will be eligible to apply for green cards in the same way as they do now.

10.  The annual allotment of green cards will be increased (though how high was not announced)

The White House also released a fact sheet outlining the President’s proposal. The written summary emphasized that the program is NOT an amnesty and illegal aliens would be in no better position to get permanent residency than workers here legally. The fact sheet also noted that family members of guest workers would be able to remain legally in the US.

The President’s plan received immediate praise from many Democrats though many are doubtful that the President is serious about getting legislation passed.  Democrat Presidential candidate Howard Dean described Bush's plan as “a cynical gesture in an election year.”  He stated that the proposal “will help big corporations who currently employ undocumented workers, but it does nothing to place hard-working immigrants on a path to citizenship and would create a permanent underclass of service workers with second-class status.”

Some pro-immigration groups were unhappy that the proposal offers only temporary solutions and no opportunity for acquiring permanent status. Immigration opponents are calling the proposal an amnesty.  Critics of the plan accuse President Bush of pandering to the growing Hispanic population in order to win election votes

Though the President enjoys considerable support in a Republican-controlled Congress, the proposal comes late in the legislative year and getting a bill passed anytime soon will be difficult.

The President will meet privately today with Mexican President Vicente Fox at the Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, and the two will discuss the President’s proposal.  Since more than half of the illegal workers in the United States are Mexicans, President Bush is seeking strong support from President Fox.  The Mexican President has said that while he supports the proposal in theory, he would like the proposal to be more than a temporary program and do more for migrants.