Speech #530132214

The bill already would establish a permanent largescale "Guest Worker" Program to import 350.000 to 400.000 temporary workers. thereby expanding and streamlining the current H2 regulatory program administered by the Department of Labor. Under the Panetta amendment. an additional 500.000 to 1 million temporary guest workers would be imported to work for producers of perishable agricultural commodities. Both of these are contrary to our attempts to reform our immigration laws and to stem the tide of undocumented aliens taking the jobs needed by Americans. This amendment is yet another attempt to codify the existing exploitation of nonresidents and noncitizens. These provisions will increase unemployment among American migrant farmworkers and deteriorate further the deplorable working. housing. and health conditions facing migrant workers today. I believe we must be concerned with passing legislation which will import hundreds of thousands of temporary foreign workers while at the same time we do very little to effectively improve the conditions confronting these workers. We must also be concerned that this amendment provides even less protection for guest workers than past programs. While the Panetta amendment does impose some requirements on those who wish to participate in the program. these requirements are unenforceable and ambiguous. and provide no workable mechanism to ensure compliance. The issue of temporary workers has no business in this immigration legislation. It makes little sense for the left hand to be working to stop the flow of undocumented aliens. while the right hand is systematically bringing in thousands of workers who will develop ties to this country and depress American wages. To include such provisions in this bill is an affront to the unemployment which currently exists in this country. Therefore.