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Bush Immigration Principles Fail to Provide Real Relief for Immigrant Families Immigrant Rights Coalitions Press for Genuine Legalization January 8, 2003 The National Grassroots Legalization Collaborative releases the following statement on President Bush’s principles for immigration reform announced January 7, 2003 in Washington, D.C.: President Bush announced that his Administration’s would offer a temporary foreign worker program that would provide status to undocumented immigrants and foreign workers who are employed (or would be) in the U.S. Many immigrant rights advocates and immigrant communities are doubtful and feel the announcement falls short of a genuine legalization proposal for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. Instead, the principles continue to scapegoat immigrants by prioritizing “National Security” policies that have led to the criminalization, detention, and deportation of thousands having nothing to do with terrorism. Under this temporary status undocumented workers employed in the U.S. must pay a one-time fee to register and abide by the rules for such a program. Visas could be renewed only once, and workers must return home after their period of work expires. Immigrants and their advocates are skeptical as the system would prioritize market needs and supply employers with a cheap workforce, giving employers enormous power over the future of these immigrant workers. Moreover, the plan as presented offers no specifics for funding enforcement against companies that break the law or abuse these workers’ right to change jobs, earn fair wages, or have healthy work environment. The President also mentioned a reasonable increase in the annual limit of legal immigrants who could benefit from the lawful path to citizenship, but with 8 - 10 million undocumented immigrants now in the U.S., many immigrant families would conceivably have to wait years in the process if applicable. “These principles fall short of any bipartisan bills currently in the Congress,” stated Angelica Salas, Executive Director of CHIRLA an immigrant rights coalition based in Los Angeles, California. A large percentage of the undocumented population resides in the state of California. In June 2002 the Little Hoover Commission serving California’s government and its economy issued a report titled, We The People: Helping Newcomers Become Californians. This report hailed, “In California, immigrants perform[ed] important, often vital roles in the workforce,” and further argued “the federal government should ensure access to high-quality, efficient assistance throughout the immigration and naturalization process.” President Bush can immediately
demonstrate his good faith by supporting the Development, Relief,
and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) and Student Adjustment Acts
(S. 1545 & H.R. 1684 respectively), which would enable undocumented
youth who have grown up in this country to gain legal status and
pursue a college education. Moreover, support for the Argricultural
Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security (AgJOBS) Act of 2003 (S.1645
& H.R. 3142), would provide much needed relief for immigrant
farmworkers. This bill insures wage and labor protections by reforms
to the H-2A Program (an existing guestworker program), and would
allow these immigrant workers to file for residency while keeping
their families united. Both have bipartisan support and could become
law this year if the President would publicly endorse and push for
their swift passage.
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