2004 George W. Bush - Guest Worker Program

In 2004, President George W. Bush urged congress to consider a temporary guest worker program "to match willing foreign workers with willing employers when no Americans can be found to fill the job."   Bush cited two reasons why a guest worker program was needed.  First it would help employers find needed workers in in an "honest and orderly system", and second it would take pressure off of the border patrol system.   By bringing "hard-working men and women out from the shadows of American life", President Bush hoped to reduce the national security threat of having 8 million undocumented workers living inside our borders.   While his program would provide a path for citizenship for those who respect our laws, Bush maintained that he opposed amnesty.

"Tonight I also ask you to reform our immigration laws so they reflect our values and benefit our economy. I propose a new temporary-worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers when no Americans can be found to fill the job. This reform will be good for our economy because employers will find needed workers in an honest and orderly system. A temporary-worker program will help protect our homeland, allowing Border Patrol and law enforcement to focus on true threats to our national security.

I oppose amnesty, because it would encourage further illegal immigration and unfairly reward those who break our laws. My temporary-worker program will preserve the citizenship path for those who respect the law while bringing millions of hard-working men and women out from the shadows of American life."

Deportations including both removals and returns had been rising drastically since 1990, and beginning in 1996 under new immigration laws signed by President Bill Clinton, the number of removals began to increase sharply as a percentage.   A removal is much harsher than a return.  Under a removal, the individual is barred from re-entering the United States and can face prison time if they do.  Under the Clinton administration deportations reached an all-time high of 1,864,343, but began to fall in 2001 and 2002.  This in part can be attributed to the increased scrutiny of those entering the United States after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Through provisions of the  Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002 and the Homeland Security Act of 2002, many new immigrants were denied entry into the United States, and through increased emphasis on Border patrol, illegal immigration was temporarily curtailed.  Buy, by 2004 it was once again on the rise, and Bush's new temporary work program was intended to fix a broken immigration policy that was making it hard for Border patrol to focus on those who were truly criminal versus those who just seeking work.

On January 7, 2004 President Bush laid out his immigration reform plan in detail.  President Bush described the plight of undocumented workers walking "mile after mile through the heat of the day and the cold of the night", risking lives in dangerous border crossings, entrusting their lives to brutal human smugglers, to end up living in the shadows and are exploited, and victimized by crime.   Afraid to call the police, or seek legal resource, they become cut off from their families and fear returning to Mexico in fear of losing their jobs. The Presidents immigration reform plan would "make our immigration laws more rational and more humane". 

1. "America must control its borders."  
2. "Immigration laws should serve the economic needs of our country."  America should welcome guest workers into our country to fill a "job that American citizens are not willing to take".
3. Illegal immigrants should not be pushed to the front of the citizenship line.
4. There should be incentives for temporary foreign workers to return to their home countries after they work period has expired.

Here are a few of the items contained in Bush's guest worker proposal:

• Open to both new immigrants and those currently illegally residing in the United States
• the program would be open to all sectors of the economy, not just agriculture
• The number of visas would be determined by the number of available jobs
• The visas would be valid for three years
• Illegal immigrants would be required to pay a fee and prove they are currently employed to remain in the country
• Illegal immigrants an new immigrants would need to prove they are fulfilling a job that could not be filled by an American.

While President Bush continued to urge Congress to pass immigration reform and create a guest worker program, his plan was never accepted and the bill died.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29646
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=72526
https://cis.org/Report/Deportation-Numbers-Unwrapped
https://www.americanbar.org/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/human_rights_vol38_2011/human_rights_winter2011/9-11_transformation_of_us_immigration_law_policy.html
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/bush-proposes-new-temporary-worker-program
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guest_worker_program
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Grape_workers.jpg