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Republicans wary of Bush guest worker proposals
By Holly Yeager in Washington
Published: October 19 2005 03:00 | Last updated: October 19 2005 03:00

Administration officials yesterday offered details of President George W. Bush's proposal for a temporary guest worker programme but faced criticism from some Republicans, who argue the approach would reward people who are in the US illegally.

Michael Chertoff, homeland security secretary, sought to reassure sceptics that the proposal would not offer amnesty to those in the country illegally. Instead, he told the Senate judiciary committee, it would "regularise" the existing situation, channelling some of the estimated 10m illegal immigrants in the US into a system that improves conditions for workers and their employers and "will ultimately get them back to their own countries".

But Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, said such treatment of people who had already broken the law threatened to "undermine that tremendously important aspect of being an American [which] is recognising that we are all treated equally under the law".

Under the approach favoured by the White House, people already in the US illegally would be able to apply for guest worker visas and their employers would be able to check their eligibility for work. The programme would permit a three-year stay, which could be extended for another three years, at which time the workers would have to return to their home countries and apply for a new visa.

Mr Bush has made immigration reform, including a guest worker programme, a priority of his second term. But Republican leaders in the Senate and House are pessimistic about progress this year. They also prefer to focus on strengthening enforcement and border security before considering a programme for those already in the country illegally.

The administration's proposal also faced criticism from business and immigration groups, who argue that the approach would make illegal immigrants reluctant to participate, because they would eventually have to leave the country.

The US Chamber of Commerce yesterday called on Congress to pass a broad immigration measure that would permit guest workers to earn legal resident status, which it said would "address potential worker shortfalls by providing a structured mechanism for employers to fill jobs when American workers are unavailable".

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3 entries found for amnesty.
am·nes·ty Audio pronunciation of "amnesty" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mn-st)
n. pl. am·nes·ties

A general pardon granted by a government, especially for political offenses.


tr.v. am·nes·tied, am·nes·ty·ing, am·nes·ties

To grant a general pardon to.