We are not seeking to recruit people for jobs other than the harvest of perishable commodities. That is the need. that is the purpose. it is the exclusive purpose for which they are admitted under this program. Their temporary visas restrict them to employment in perishable agriculture and they must remain continuously employed in perIshable agriculture during the length of their visa or return to their country of origin within 30 days of their last job to receive the 20 percent of their wages which have been withheld. And remember. we know when they have left. because the workers departure must be recorded by their employer within 72 hours of departure. Workers who develop a record of compliance with the conditions of the program will receive priority consideration on future visa applications. but those who violate any of the terms will be ineligible to participate in the program for 5 years. The amendment will not create an openended program as some of its critics mistakenly believe. On the contrary. my proposal directs the Attorney General. in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Agriculture. to issue only the amount of temporary visas necessary to supplement the available domestic work force. This decision will be made on a region.byregion basis every month. and then after 3 years of experience in administering the program the Attorney General is required to set a numerical cap on the maximum number of temporary foreign workers that can be allowed in our country at any one time. Such explicit statutory authority and detailed regulatory controls as are included in this amendment were lacking entirely from the widely criticized Bracero Program which Congress terminated in the early 1960s.
Keywords matched
visas visa