President. as I said. citizenship in this country is not free. and it is something that has to be earned and worked for. and that is what this bill requires. I also believe any plan must consider guest workers. Many business leaders throughout our great State of Arkansas have told me about the valuable contribution that legal immigrant workers have made to the economic growth we have seen. It is my belief these workers are vital to sustained growth and development of many industries and farming communities throughout our land. However. we must ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to prevent guest workers from taking jobs from U.S. workers or driving down wages and benefits for hardworking Americans. We have seen that in this bill. and we will continue to work to strengthen it. I am pleased the immigration reform legislation we are currently debating contains provisions that will improve our agricultural guest worker program which will benefit our Nations farmers. We stand at a crossroads in this country. Over the last decade and a half. the immigrant population has expanded in every area of our country. many of them coming here legally but some not. some coming illegally. many of them already paying local taxes. Almost half are paying into Medicare and Social Security with no promise of ever receiving any benefits. We are faced with the decision that gets to the heart of what values we hold near and dear as Americans.
Keywords matched
immigrant immigration