PRESIDENT George W. Bush wants to create among Hispanic immigrants a new class of indentured servants in 21-Century America. The "temporary/guest worker program" he proposed last week would permit current illegal or undocumented workers to come out of the closet. But who stands to gain by the exposure? Not the workers, that’s for sure.
The plan, as proposed by Bush, would allowed immigrants to work in the country, if they are sponsored by an employer who reportedly has made every effort to find an American citizen to fill the position. The immigrant will receive an employment card that would allow him or her to remain in the country for three years; a renewal is possible for another three years. Individuals in the program would not automatically receive citizenship. Currently 14 percent of the civilian workforce is foreign born, according to the White House.
Since the announcement, the proposal as been roundly panned by Hispanic leaders, like Raul Yzaguirre of the National Council of La Raza, as nothing more than "a series of concepts and broad strokes." He called Bush’s plan, albeit absent pertinent details, a modern day "Bracero," which first was launched during President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration. Under Bracero, mostly Mexican workers were allowed into the country by the truckloads, exploited with low-wage jobs primarily in the farming industry. When the economy went south, so did the workers; they were sent back to Mexico without evidence of any long-term benefits for their contribution. "We saw endemic patterns of abuses that we all are ashamed of," Yzaguirre told CNN.
And there are likely to be more abuses, if Congress passes Bush’s proposal. For example, a worker is at the mercy of the employer-sponsor—without one, the worker cannot avail himself or herself to the program. If there is a dispute, the employer can easily pull the proverbial rug out from under the immigrant. Further, although Bush suggests that immigrants will be able to set up savings account, there is little reason to believe that the minimal wages they are likely to receive will permit such a luxury.
"We were hoping that he would keep his promises to offer comprehensive immigration reform that would include, indeed, perhaps a temporary worker program, but that the heart of it would be earned legalization, a pathway, so that people who are currently paying taxes, subsidizing our Social Security system, improving our standard of living, would have an opportunity to do what millions of other Americans -- other immigrants have done, become American citizens," Yzaguirre added.
What is equally troubling about the Bush plan isn’t just what it does to immigrants, it’s what it also means for American-born workers who have watched jobs slip from their grasp. Although the administration boasts of a turn around in the economy, that has not translated into jobs. Unemployment remains at an all-time high. Millions of manufacturing and technology jobs now are being held by the Chinese and residents of India. It’s not uncommon to pick of the telephone to call a credit card company and to hear someone with an Indian accent at the other end. No one begrudges Indians or Chinese opportunities for advancement, but when these are provided at the expense of Americans, well there is cause for concern.
Supporters of the Bush plan will say that the jobs immigrants are likely to fill are not those most Americans want. But each week there is a story about some former IT executive who is working at a fast food restaurant or in some retail outlet, just to keep a roof over his or her head and a meal on the table. There are people in this country—non-immigrants, citizens—who are hurting and who could be hurt even more if the president and Congress don’t figure out how to embrace the global economy without destroying the one at home.
But that is not likely to happen in what is expected to be a highly contested political season. Already there are charges that the plan, introduced late in the legislative calendar, has little chance of being approved before the November election. Critics say the proposal is one vehicle Republicans will use to placate and recruit Hispanic voters. Getting a few additional Hispanic voters is actually gravy. The meat that Bush is after is corporate America. This is the only community that has absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.
