The Democratic platform should call for an end to the hypocrisy of our immigration policy. Our current policy, an enormously expensive cat-and-mouse game, most notably on our southern border, calls on the INS to enforce immigration laws that are openly expected to be ignored by countless US industries and private employers. Some sort of regulated guest-worker program is needed.
Once it is in place, if immigrants continue to enter the country illegally and can’t find work, word will filter back and the numbers will decrease dramatically. While in our country, however, those guest workers need to be protected from exploitation–to be assured they will be paid for their work, that their working conditions will meet state and federal safety standards and that they will receive no less than the federally mandated minimum wage (which needs to be raised).
Employers would be required to withhold some percentage (perhaps the equivalent of federal taxes and Social Security) from wages to help defray the costs of the program. Penalties for hiring foreign workers outside of the program would be high enough (and sufficiently enforced) to end the black market in labor that is thriving now.
Protecting all workers in this country is an important first step toward the amendment or abolition of NAFTA and the protection of workers throughout the world.
Can somebody help me understand what is this author trying to say about immigration?
