Immigration Group Leery of White House 'Gift' to Illegal Aliens
by Chad Groening
January 5, 2004
(AgapePress) - An immigration reform organization says the Bush Administration gave illegal aliens an "extravagant election-year gift" with the announcement of a proposed "guest working" program. The group says the new program goes even further than they had anticipated.Republican officials have told The Washington Post that the president intends to kick off his re-election year by proposing a program that would make it easier for illegal aliens to work legally in the United States. The program would allow aliens to cross the border legally -- provided jobs are waiting for them. And sources say the Administration also wants to provide a way for some illegal aliens already in the U.S. to move toward legal status.
Susan Tully of the Federation for American Immigration Reform says the proposal is bad news for American workers.
"Actually it's a little more extensive than what I was expecting," she says. "It's also talking about basically allowing employers to go searching throughout the world for people they want to employ -- which means the erosion of more American jobs. So it's not just going to be an amnesty 'guest worker' program."
Tully also says the changes will make it harder for Americans to compete for jobs with people who are willing to work for lower wages. At the same time, she says, American taxpayers will be asked to foot the bill for those same workers to have free education and medical benefits.
She maintains that government officials are being careful not to describe the proposal as an "amnesty" program -- "but it will do the same," she says.
According to the Post, the president will present the final draft of the proposal later this month before traveling to Monterey, Mexico, for a summit with leaders from throughout the Americas.
