President Bush’s decision to send overstretched National Guard troops to our nation’s southern borders lifts a page out of the political - not the policy - play book.  Once again, this Administration is not making sound and consistent policy decisions for our nation.    

It’s time for President Bush and Congress to stop blowing hot and cold on immigration reform and get serious about enacting comprehensive immigration laws that will provide a real path to citizenship for those workers already here, paying taxes and contributing to their communities and that helps meet our nation’s future need for workers in a fair way.  

Reasoned border security is important, but it will not fix our broken immigration system.  Immigration reform must include the protection of rights and standards for all workers including permanent relief to the millions of undocumented workers currently living and working in this country; it is long past time to put this struggling underground community above ground and recognize their enormous contributions.  To do otherwise guarantees a secondary class of workers easily subject to exploitation.

History, economics and common sense dictate that exploitation of workers will continue as long as it makes economic sense for employers to do so.  Deploying the National Guard to the border does nothing to end the economic exploitation that is driving illegal immigration.  Our laws must include uniform enforcement of workplace standards to ensure a more just and level playing field.  We must reject outdated guest worker programs that relegate all future immigrant workers to an indentured, second-class status with substandard wages and rights – and undermine standards for all.

What immigrant workers need is a real path to citizenship and a method for addressing America’s future needs for outside labor in a way that guarantees immigrant workers--and thus ALL workers--full rights and a real voice on the job.  

Contact: Esmeralda Aguilar: 202-637-5018