On the one hand, these people, not accounted for in any way by American authorities, break the law, do not pay taxes and pose a threat to national security. On the other hand, they fill those niches in the labor market that would otherwise suffer from a shortage of workers. We are talking about work as waiters, nannies, loaders and maids. Illegal immigrants from poor countries serve the so-called "lower layer of the American economy." According to the president of the American Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donahue, "if these people leave, life in the country will stop."
During his 2000 presidential campaign, George Bush promised to address the problem of illegal immigration. However, after September 11, 2001, he had other things to do, and he was only able to return to this issue now. Now the public is curiously learning about the program proposed by Bush under the working title "Temporary Worker."
The program will give people who are in the United States illegally the opportunity to obtain legal status and not be punished for illegally crossing the border. People abroad and those wishing to come to work in the United States will also be able to participate in it. In both cases, the applicant will have to apply to the American authorities with a guarantee from an employer - real or potential. The program will create a database that will allow employers and workers to find each other. To register for the program, you will also have to pay a fee, but its amount has not yet been determined.
Temporary workers will be guaranteed the right to freely leave for their homeland and return to the United States. They will also be allowed to live in the United States with their closest relatives - children and spouses. Having obtained legal status, immigrants will be able to open a bank account, pay taxes and claim rights that are usually granted to American workers - vacation, a regulated working day, social contributions and sick leave.
Until now, only two categories of people could obtain the right to work in America - seasonal workers and holders of rare specialties. At the same time, hospital nurses or store clerks did not fall under any of them and were forced to work illegally. If any of them applied to the authorities for a residence permit (green card), they would be immediately deported. Bush wants to allow participants in the "Temporary Worker" program to apply for a green card after three years of living in the United States.
However, at the same time, the States are not interested in illegal immigrants obtaining resident status. After all, this would give them the right to claim unemployment benefits, free health insurance for the poor, a state pension and federal grants for higher education, which could become an unbearable burden for the American budget and swell the ranks of those who sit on welfare as a whole family. And there are enough of those among US citizens as well.
Therefore, Bush's plan does not provide for simplified conditions for obtaining permanent residence for participants in the "Temporary Worker" program. Yes, they will receive the right to petition for a green card. However, the procedure for issuing it will remain the same as it is now. This means that those wishing to obtain a residence permit will have to wait for years, and only 10% of those who applied will be lucky. Those whose temporary work period expires before they are issued a green card will have to leave for their homeland and wait for it there.
To encourage foreigners to take such a step, Bush proposes reaching an agreement with Mexico, the leading supplier of immigrants, that social contributions received from temporary workers in the United States would be transferred to their personal accounts in the Mexican pension fund. Then a person who returned from the States would be greeted at home with a pension that is large by the standards of poor countries.
Bush's program has already met resistance from both the right and the left. First, the right political wing traditionally advocates for restricting immigration, and the "Temporary Worker" program gives millions of people a chance to obtain a residence permit. Second, American conservatives believe that the program "forgives" those who broke the law (that is, illegally crossed the border), and therefore amnesties criminals and threatens the prestige of that law in the future. At the same time, the words "immigration amnesty" still cause an allergic reaction among many politicians. In 1986, the Immigration and Naturalization Service made an attempt to bring order to the world of illegals without sending people home. The Immigration Reform and Control Act adopted then granted amnesty to 2.7 million people who had illegally entered the United States, and at the same time defined harsh sanctions against employers who hire illegals. This led to crowds of people illegally rushing into the States across the Mexican border in order to immediately come to the authorities and obtain the right to live in America. At the same time, employers soon discovered that the government had no real ability to monitor the status of those they hired, and again began to resort to the help of illegals.
Representatives of the left wing see directly opposite shortcomings in the program. From their point of view, the United States needs a serious reform of immigration legislation, which should significantly facilitate obtaining a green card. Bush's program assumes that people will be invited to the United States to work without giving them any guarantees that they will be able to stay there and gain access to social security. "We fear that this will all come down to Bush's election campaign and will not help people in any way," says Michelle Waslin from the National Council of La Raza (an organization protecting the rights of Hispanic Americans).
Indeed, Bush's program can be regarded as a pre-election move. In 2000, he was the first presidential candidate to bet, among other things, on the Latin American diaspora. During his campaign, videos in Spanish were broadcast, and he himself often posed before the media in the company of his nephew Jeb, who is half Mexican. Latin Americans living in the US do not lose ties with relatives left abroad, and will welcome any easing of immigration legislation. Therefore, Bush has a chance to raise his rating.