Capitol Hill

On Jan. 7, 2004, President Bush placed immigration reform front and center of his domestic policy agenda by proposing a temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing U.S. employers when no U.S. workers can be found to fill the jobs.

Bush's proposal sparked a heated debate that has proceeded for 1 1/2 years inside an echo chamber of conservative talk radio and cable news programs featuring those who argue undocumented workers present a security threat and take jobs that could be filled by U.S. workers.

Concerned the debate has become dangerously toxic, the White House busied itself during the congressional August recess to take control of a discussion that has pitted elements of the Republican base against one another. The effort aims to create a broad coalition of business groups and immigrant advocates to back a plan Bush could promote in Congress this fall or early next year.

Two visions

The immigration dispute has come to be symbolized by two cultural icons—the Statue of Liberty and Minutemen. On one side, there are advocates of Bush's plan, such as former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), who argues we need to "talk to the better angels of our nature," and "echo those marvelous words on the Statue of Liberty."

Our nation is stronger and better because of the hard work, faith and entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants. Immigrants were vital to our economic growth during the past decade and will be irreplaceable in the next. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the roofing industry alone will need 70,000 new workers during the next decade to keep pace with demand.

The other camp has been the dominant voice and added a potent image earlier this year when a private citizens group, calling itself the Minutemen, made headlines by patrolling the Arizona-Mexico border in an effort to thwart illegal crossings. This faction generally views illegal immigration as an invasion of our southern border. Cable news commentators and single-issue pressure groups have composed a deafening message that has the virtue of simplicity, if not veracity.

For them, immigrants take jobs because they are willing to work for depressed wages. To make matters worse, immigrants commit crimes and overload our public services. But frankly, that doesn't matter because illegal immigration is, well, illegal. End of discussion.

Two bills

Two pieces of legislation reflect the opposing visions. On May 12, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) introduced the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act (S 1033). And on July 19, Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act (S 1438).

S 1438 primarily focuses on enforcement. It would authorize 10,000 new border patrol agents, more detention spaces, improved border-control technology and a robust interior enforcement program targeting employers. It also would require the 11 million undocumented immigrants already here to return to their home countries. Under a new type of temporary-worker visa, the bill would permit workers to work for two years before going home. They would have to stay in their home countries at least one year before they could reapply for another two-year stay. In total, their stay as a temporary worker could not exceed six years.

The McCain bill would allow undocumented workers to apply for guest-worker status without returning home by paying fines of up to $2,000, as well as back taxes; they also would be eligible to apply for permanent residency after fulfilling a six-year work requirement, providing they meet certain requirements.

Outlook

If legislation advances, it probably will resemble one of these two approaches. Ultimately, the White House will tip the balance, but which plan is preferred remains a mystery. Bush intends to raise the profile of the debate but deliberately has left the fine details to Congress.

Given the long-term labor shortfalls facing the U.S. economy and pressing need to address the undocumented individuals currently in the U.S., NRCA hopes Congress will confront the fact that many of the jobs being created by the U.S.'s growing economy are jobs U.S. citizens simply are not filling. NRCA will work to ensure future legislation welcomes those who seek to make the U.S. stronger and echoes the message chiseled at the feet of the Statue of Liberty.

R. Craig Silvertooth is NRCA's director of federal affairs.