Speech #530131744

And we seek to make sure that the body of law that has grown up over the last 20 years out of the horror stories of the bracero program. the body of law that has been refined by both growers and workers in the H2 program. is in fact retained. because we would require that the Secretary of Labor promulgate regulations that are at least as effective as the current ones so that we protect those rights. I think that what we have in this situation is in fact a real compromise. It is a compromise that allows us to go from todays situation where in parts of the country the bulk of the employment and employment opportunities is met by the use of illegal aliens. undocumented workers. to a point where we will move to where that work will be done by domestic farm workers. And many of my colleagues in the Congress do not understand that we have resident domestic farm workers in this country who now are currently unemployed in many parts of southern California and elsewhere. and these jobs are being taken by illegal aliens. One of the hopes of immigration reform is that. as we change that. those jobs will be available to American workers. One of the crucial tests that we try to maintain in the Miller amendment is a certification process by the Secretary of Labor that there first is a need for these guest workers to come to this countryunder the current illegal program. obviously no one need show thatand that in fact American workers will not be hurt by the bringing to our shores of the guest workers from these other countries. That is a process that has been used for many years to make sure that we do not take part in an activity that jeopardizes the opportunities for Americans to participate in employment opportunities. and at the same time to see that the need is legitimate. and also to protect the rights of guest workers. Now. we do not know whether we are going to need all these guest workers. The Judiciary Committee has received testimony and statements by some of its members that we will need 150.000 to 200.000 of these people. The Immigration Reform Commission chaired by Father Hesburgh suggested that there would be a slight increase. and that the H2 program should be retained. As to statements on the floor today. I do not know how much credibility we want to give them. but they run somewhere the statement that there will be no need for workers to maybe half a million.