Cornyn's H-2A Visa falls short of Bush's plans

Date: Monday, July 14, 2003 3:58 PM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

www.ZaZona.com

On June 29th I reported that Texas Senator John Cornyn was proposing a
massive new nonimmigrant visa called H-2A. Now it is being reported
that Cornyn's bill isn't good enough for Bush. That's a scary thought
because the H-2A proposal would be the largest guest worker bill in the
history of mankind.

We definitely have a president that thinks big. For insights on what
Bush might have in mind, stay tuned to future newsletters.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/1989599

July 10, 2003, 10:27PM

Guest worker plan pushed by Cornyn falls short of Bush's

By KAREN MASTERSON
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Texas Sen. John Cornyn introduced guest worker
legislation on Thursday that would allow illegal immigrants to work
legally in the United States for three years, but falls short of a plan
President Bush is preparing to unveil.

White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said Bush administration officials
have met with Cornyn, a Republican, to discuss his bill, but did not
commit the president's support.

Rather, Bush is set to pursue bold policies similar to those he had
advocated to boost relations with Mexico early in his administration.

Those discussions, which included possible amnesty for some illegal
immigrants, came to an abrupt end on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists
attacked the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon.

"We are working with Mexico toward more orderly, humane, safe and legal
migration, as well as consideration of a new temporary worker program
that provides some path to citizenship," Mamo said of the White House's
plans to restart negotiations with Congress over immigration proposals.

Cornyn's bill would allow illegal immigrants to temporarily work
legally in the United States through employer sponsors. But instead of
providing those workers with eventual amnesty, they would have to
return home after three years. Once there, their applications for green
cards would receive expedited consideration.

Cornyn acknowledged he would need the president's support to bolster
his bill, but said he chose not to wait for Bush to unveil his
immigration proposal because the time was right to begin pushing the
issue.

Mamo did not know when the White House would officially release its
plan, but sources in the Republican congressional leadership said there
have been initial discussions with the White House over what might be
possible in time for the 2004 elections.

Republicans hope a renewed interest in immigration issues will persuade
Hispanics to support GOP candidates and not only help the party
solidify its hold on Congress but also deliver Bush an easy re-election
victory.

The goal may not be so handily won.

There are few issues that fracture Republicans more than immigration.
And it is unclear whether even their popular president can move those
in the GOP who have made a career out of opposing legislation that
would give amnesty to illegal immigrants.

"We should never, ever, ever reward people for illegal behavior," said
Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, the House's most outspoken Republican
favoring limited immigration.

His biggest fear, he said, is that Bush will use his popularity from
the war with Iraq to push through a guest worker program on what
Tancredo called the false assumption that Hispanics will "automatically
respond to that kind of pandering."

Opponents of guest worker programs also charge that guest worker
programs of the 1950s and 1960s opened the doors to millions of workers
who ultimately continued to live illegally in the United States.

Tancredo has a strong bloc of more than 100 Republicans who back his
approach to immigration policy.

Late last month, 102 Republicans, including House Majority Leader Tom
DeLay, R-Sugar Land, supported a Tancredo amendment that would have
withheld homeland security funding from communities that do not force
police, teachers and medical personnel to turn in illegal immigrants.
Tancredo said that vote, though unsuccessful, suggests he has enough
support to defy even the president on this issue.

On Thursday, however, DeLay said some kind of guest worker program is
needed. He declined to discuss details.

Such a plan will need Democratic support to make up for the scores of
Republicans likely to vote against it. But Democrats, including the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus, have said any immigration legislation
will need to include broad amnesty for at least some of the estimated 4
million illegal immigrants living in the country.

"There must be a mechanism in which you can ultimately earn your
legalization ... by virtue of your labor," said Rep. Robert Menendez,
D-N.J., the highest-ranking Hispanic in the House.

Bush's initial proposals in 2001 would have met some of those
Democratic demands. During a visit by Mexican President Vicente Fox to
the United States just days before the terrorist attacks, Bush said
Americans need to "think creatively" to develop a guest worker program
that links U.S. employers with Mexican workers, including undocumented
immigrants who are already here.

But at the time, Bush also cautioned that workers who arrived illegally
should not be placed ahead of those who have waited their turn.

A Mexican government official said Thursday that the United States
recently has revived its interest in immigration reform talks,
apparently motivated by the May deaths of 19 illegal immigrants who
were locked in the back of a tractor-trailer abandoned near Victoria.

An immigration accord is "on the negotiating table," the official said.
Bush and Fox are expected to "have a very specific discussion" about
immigration before the end of the year, she added.

Cornyn hopes his proposal to give guest workers favorable treatment
once they've returned home will satisfy enough moderates on the
immigration issue to get a bill through the Senate.

He also hopes to garner White House support by couching his bill as
pro-homeland security because it would crack down on employers who hire
foreign workers without first sponsoring them. Cornyn said such a
policy would root out terrorists "hiding the shadows" of the illegal
cash economy, while protecting migrant workers by giving them a legal
way to enter and work in the United States.

Chronicle reporter Jena Moreno contributed to this story from Mexico
City.

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Rob Sanchez is board member of NAEA - www.NAEA.US

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