Bush Proposes Temporary Worker Program

Broacast: January 10, 2004

This is Steve Ember with In the News, in VOA Special English.

President Bush has proposed a temporary worker program formillions of people illegally in the United States. He announced theplan Wednesday at the White House. The United States is estimated tohave at least eight-million illegal immigrants from Mexico and othercountries. Immigration policy has been an area of tension betweenthe United States and Mexico.

President Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox appeared closeto an agreement in September of two-thousand-one. Then came theterrorist attacks on New York and Washington, which increasedconcern about border controls.

The Department of Homeland Security would operate the temporaryworker program. Mister Bush says all who take part must have a job-- or, if not living in the United States, a job offer.

Those approved for the program would not be punished for enteringthe country or working illegally. Workers would also be free totravel between the United States and their home countries. And theywould have the same legal protections as American workers.

The temporary work permits would be good for three years andcould be renewed. But President Bush says the program would have anend. Then, workers would be expected to return home unless they hadbeen approved for citizenship under the normal process.

President Bush says the reform plan is important for the economyand national security. He says it will help establish more controlof the border.

Business groups say the plan would create a strong workforce andreduce labor shortages. But labor unions say it would take jobs awayfrom American workers. President Bush says the plan will requireemployers to make every effort to find an American worker first.

Some Mexican officials have expressed support for the plan. Butimmigrant rights activists are unhappy that it will not lead tocitizenship. The plan is the president's first legislative proposalof this election year. It is widely described as an attempt toappeal to Hispanic voters.

White House officials invited about two-hundred Latino supportersto attend the announcement. Hispanics are now the largest ethnicgroup in the United States. People of Spanish-speaking ancestry areabout thirteen percent of the population.

The plan requires approval from Congress. Some lawmakers fromMister Bush's own Republican Party are expected to criticize theidea. Conservatives say it pardons illegal immigration and illegalemployment.

President Bush says the plan does not represent forgiveness. And,he says, it will not be unfair to people who have followed the legalprocess.

President Bush and President Fox are expected to discuss the planat the Summit of the Americas meeting next week in Monterrey, Mexico.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk.This is Steve Ember.