Editorial: Immigration plan a step in the right direction

Though not perfect, President Bush’s proposal to grant
temporary legal status to millions of undocumented workers is the
most ambitious plan in recent memory on illegal immigration ““
an issue most politicians are afraid to confront.

Congress should move quickly to pass his proposals, which
compose an important first step, into law.

There are an estimated 8 million illegal immigrants in the
United States, the vast majority of whom are here simply to work.
Picking crops, washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms
““ doing jobs most Americans would never accept ““
illegal immigrants comprise what Bush accurately called “a
massive undocumented economy.” Though illegal immigrants
often perform the most difficult tasks, they also are usually
subject to the lowest pay, the worst treatment and the least
security.

Bush’s proposals would do something ““ though not yet
enough ““ to change that.

Bush’s program would be open to undocumented workers
currently in the country who can prove they have a job. Those still
in another country would be eligible with proof of a job offer.
Those qualifying would be granted a three-year work permit that
would be renewable for an unspecified period.

If Bush’s proposals are adopted as policy, these workers
would be protected ““ to some degree ““ from
exploitation and low wages. They would enjoy the basic rights that
come with being a legal, American worker.

But the plan is not a final solution.

It’s troubling, for example, that workers who come to the
United States and work here legally for three years could be sent
back to their countries, used and disposed by corporate
America.

Bush advertised his proposal as a way to to make United States a
“more compassionate, more humane and stronger
country.”

But the plan only will do this if it is followed up with
safeguards that stop the United States from bringing in workers
when they are useful for the country’s economic engine and
sending them back when they are not.

While Bush’s call for better treatment of undocumented
workers upset some hard-line law-and-order Republicans, Democrats
hoping to challenge Bush for his job in November were quick to jump
on his plan as unfriendly to immigrants.

Gen. Wesley Clark, for example, said the plan was “too
little, too late,” according to a Los Angeles Times article.
Rep. Richard Gephardt and Sens. Joe Lieberman and John Kerry were
also quoted in the Times as saying the Bush proposal did not do
enough to solve the issue, indicating his plans were more about
election-year politics than real policy.

And, no doubt, Bush’s political motives are clear. He
hopes to win over both Latino voters and businesses with his plan.
But that doesn’t change the merits of his proposal.

Bush, who would have a hard time with the conservative base that
sent him into office if he proposed full amnesty for illegal
workers, deserves credit for what is an imperfect but still
beneficial policy proposal.