Mr. President. I join with Senator KENNEDY and others in the introduction of a bill to amend the Immigration and Naturalization Act to regulate the greencard commuter problem. "Greencard commuters" are persons who have been granted permanent alien resident status as bona fide immigrants. but who. nonetheless. reside in Mexico or Canada and regularly enter the United States solely for the purposes of employment. The problems created by the commuter immigrant are manifest. particularly along the Mexican border. Given the poor working and living conditions along the northern border of Mexico. Mexican aliens. as a group. serve as a readily available. lowwage work force which undermines the standards workers generally enjoy throughout the rest of the United States. As a result. the forces of free enterprise are prevented from operating to develop standards along the border commensurate with normal American standards. The depressed wage rates that result are satisfactory recompense for the commuter immigrant since he can return to Mexico daily or weekly with his earnings to live in a much lower cost economy. These greencard commuters simply fail to become immigrants in the sense contemplated by the law. And their employment in this country is clearly detrimental to the economic conditions. the job opportunities. and the organizing and collective bargaining efforts of American workers. because they have little or no stake in the resolution of domestic labor disputes. Indeed. it is clear that these nonresident commuters. as well as illegal entrants. are widely used as strikebreakers. The bill seeks to remedy this serious problem. While it may need perfecting amendments. I believe the bill provides a sound basis on which to eliminate current abuses of our immigration laws. A major goal of our immigration laws has always been the reasonable protection of working conditions and job opportunities for American workers. and this bill is consistent with that goal. The bills purpose is consistent with my personal conviction that our Nation must promote an open border policya policy that permits people and trade to flow across our borders without undue restriction. The bill seeks merely to eliminate widespread abuses of our immigration policiesabuses that run entirely contrary to our Nations dedication to justice and fairplayand I support it for that reason.
Identified stereotypes
Mexican aliens are a readily available, low-wage work force which undermines the standards workers generally enjoy throughout the rest of the United States.