Immigration Reform the Bush Administration

Immigration Reform

The Bush administration proposed its Immigration Reform program under the premise that the United States is a nation that was built on the hard work of many generations of immigrants (White House, 2004). The administration believed that prior immigration laws were detrimental to both immigrants and American corporations. When immigrants are not allowed to work legally in the U.S., they are likely to seek illegal employment, which exposes them to exploitation and poor working conditions. In addition, the Bush administration believes that employers benefit from enhanced immigration laws because they can easily find workers for key sectors of the economy. The administration promotes the Immigration Reform program as one that creates a system that is "fairer, more consistent, and more compassionate (White House, 2004)."

The Immigration Reform program would allow illegal immigrants working in the United States to remain in the country legally if their employers vouch for their jobs (FOX, 2004). In response to concerns that illegal immigrants would take away jobs from American citizen, President Bush argued that the immigrants would be doing the jobs Americans are not willing to take, such as hotel maids, landscapers and meat cutters. Under the program, illegal immigrants would have the opportunity to pay a fee to apply immediately for a green card for permanent U.S. residency. The applicant would still have to compete for the visa, but would be immune from deportation for three years while the application is being processed.

According to Bush (FOX, 2004): "We must make our immigration law more rational and more humane, and I believe we can do so without jeopardizing the livelihood of American citizens." In addition, the president believes that the plan will better secure U.S. borders and the homeland by making sure that illegal immigrants are documented.

Many interest groups support the Immigration Reform proposal. The nation's Hispanic community, largely as a result of the proposal, supports the Bush administration's ideas (FOX, 2004). In addition, the business community, which already employs illegal workers in low-wage jobs, supports this reform. It is estimated that about eight million illegal immigrants, half of whom are of Mexican descent, live and work in the United States already. Under Bush's program, immigrants will be allowed to stay in the U.S. If employers agree to give them jobs for three years and are unable to find American citizens willing to do the job.

While many interest groups support the program, there are many critics, as well. Conservative groups have sharply opposed the idea of rewarding immigrants who break the law by illegally entering the United States. These groups believe that the program is giving blanket amnesty and encouraging more illegal immigration.

President Bush denies that the program promotes amnesty. "I oppose amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship," he said (FOX, 2004). "Granting amnesty encourages violation of our laws and perpetuates illegal immigration. America is a welcoming country, but citizenship must not be the automatic reward for violating the laws of America."

While the Constitution at first glance seems to oppose immigration reform, in fact it facilitates reform and even mandates it (Masugi, 2005). The Constitution states that all persons be counted, and illegal immigrants count as persons. This idea is supported by the example of the great American dilemma in which "other persons" -slaves - were counted as three-fifths of persons, therefore increasing the power of the slave states in the House of Representatives. Slavery, one of the biggest tragedies of American history, warns of the injustice of illegal immigration. In today's day and age, American companies welcome the wealth brought about by cheap labor to adherence to self-government. For these reasons, it appears that the Constitution supports immigration reform.