February 12 2004

Eduardo Aguirre, Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship about President Bush's proposed temporary worker program.

His statement strongly supports immigration reform, and allowing undocumented persons a way to legalize their status, without a blanket "amnesty" program.

President Bush's proposal would allow a one-time opportunity for undocumented workers, here as of the date of the President's announcement in January, to legalize their status to a newly-created worker status.

Director Aguirre presented five points to the Subcommittee, that were essentially a start at providing greater detail as to how such a program could be implemented and work.

• He first emphasized enforcement and security. He reiterated a point often overlooked by immigration restrictionists, namely that "identifying and registering the undocumented population will minimize threats and maximize security." The program would require a dedicated biometric card for the worker and participating family members.
• He also emphasized that American workers come first. The heart of the President's proposal is to match willing workers with willing employers, when no American worker can be found.
• One of his major points was that incentives need to be created for workers to return to their home countries. One important way of accomplishing this is to allow workers to come and go freely to their home countries, without penalty. This is a tremendous benefit since most undocumented persons would be subject to a ten year bar on returning to the U.S. once they leave. Another incentive would be to allow family members to participate and join the worker here in the U.S.
• Director Aguirre reiterrated the President's theme that the program should be fair and not come at the expense of legal immigrants who have complied with immigration laws.
• Finally, Director Aguirre also described how the program could be simple and user-friendly. It would require a one-time fee upon registration into the program.