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Local news Friday, March 10, 2006

No trouble expected with guest-worker proposal

Louie Gilot
El Paso Times
Friday, March 10, 2006

The guest-worker program proposed by the U.S. Senate would not necessarily be an administrative burden for immigration offices in El Paso, said Emilio Gonzalez, the new director of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"The proposed bill has two targets, those already here and others from overseas. As you know, undocumented immigrants are everywhere. I'm not sure that being on the border helps or impedes the process. It should not be a burden," Gonzalez said during a conference call with members of the press Thursday.

Iliana Holguin, the executive director of the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, disagreed.

"There's going to be more immigration activity in communities like El Paso," she predicted.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees immigration questions, is now debating immigration reform, including a possible guest-worker program.

The program, which has the support of President Bush, would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a three-year work visa -- tentatively called H-2C -- which they could renew once, and then would have to go home.

Gonzalez said his office is already studying how administering such a program would affect the agency and how much it would cost.

Citizenship and Immigration Services functions thanks to fees paid by immigrants, but Gonzalez said he didn't exclude having to ask Congress for additional money to manage the guest-worker program.

The agency increased fees by $5 to $20, depending on the paperwork, last October.

Gonzalez, who was appointed in December, also said a pilot program at the Dallas office that allows the 90-day processing of a petition for alien relatives and an application to register permanent residence will be available in El Paso this year.

Under the program, applicants can be interviewed the same day they drop off their applications.

Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com; 546-6131.