Bush would exploit undocumented workers - Kerry would be fair

[tommcintyre]

http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=fdcd30a3ae33c2195a3e952d0e08ba4e

Different Candidates, Different Views of the Border

News Report, Jessica Chandler,
El Tecolote, Oct 28, 2004

As the tightest and most heated of presidential election races gets underway, one of the biggest issues of the 2004 election is immigration.

The backbone of Bush’s immigration reform is his temporary worker program. Bush proposes to allow eight million undocumented workers to register to work for three years, as long as they are employed and the employers have proven they can’t hire Americans to do the same job. Workers may be asked to return after three years — that is, work offers may be renewable — but the program would not automatically put a worker on the path to citizenship or permanent resident status. Bush does not endorse amnesty for illegal immigrants currently working in the United States.

John Kerry takes a different approach. In contrast to Bush’s temporary worker program, Kerry wants to see an earned immigration status program. Under Kerry’s proposed plan, undocumented workers who have been working illegally in the United States for five or more years could achieve “earned legalization” status. By passing a health and background check, these longstanding illegal immigrants would become American citizens without waiting. Border patrol and law enforcement would be stepped up to limit future access for undocumented workers and, as Kerry says, to stem the huge influx of illegal crossings and to award workers who have contributed to the U.S. economy.

Earned legalization is one part of a comprehensive immigration reform bill that Kerry proposes issuing within 100 days of taking office. This reform bill proposes four key elements: earned legalization, reuniting families, a visa program with worker protections, and stronger border securities.