Thread: A Path to Legality, Not Citizenship for Temporary Workers

Private Business Tackles Immigration - The Red Card Solution: A Path to Legality, Not Citizenship for Temporary Workers

WASHINGTON, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, just two days before President Obama holds his White House Summit on Immigration reform, Helen Krieble of the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation introduced The Red Card Solution (www.redcardsolution.com), her private sector initiative to solve America's temporary worker dilemma.

"The President has promised to deal with this issue," says Krieble. "I'm suggesting a simple plan that is secure through the use of smart cards, cost-free to taxpayers since it's funded by the private sector, practical for foreign workers and the business owners who need them, and economically beneficial because it generates new tax revenues for American coffers."

Helen introduced The Red Card Solution on Tuesday while premiering a mini-documentary on the issue at the National Press Club in Washington, along with experts on the topic who were panelists in a lively Q&A with guests, including Steve Moore from the Wall Street Journal; James Carafano, Heritage Foundation; Matt Kibbe of Freedom Works; and Mario Lopez, Hispanic Leadership Fund.

"This plan is not meant to fix every part of the immigration problem, but it addresses the most difficult part of the debate - a practical system for temporary workers," said Krieble. "Citizenship is a different issue and should be dealt with separately from a work program. But the need for laborers to do jobs that Americans don't want can be solved quickly and easily by the private sector," she continued.

"We have criminalized hard-working people, not to mention the business owners who are made to choose between hiring illegal workers, or going out of business without them," said Krieble.

Mario Lopez of the Hispanic Leadership Fund noted, "Today there is no opportunity for these workers to come in legally. So people who just want to provide for their families make the difficult decision to break our law, go through great personal danger, then exist in the shadows."

"What makes The Red Card Solution so perfect is that a small business owner came up with it," said Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal. "If we had fewer lawyers and more small business people in Congress we'd probably get more done."

"But America's temporary worker needs are not just at the low end of the scale," Moore continued. "We need workers with PhDs and high level educations. Currently, foreign students come into the U.S. and get great educations, then we won't renew their visas to stay here and work. So we're exporting that great talent American business might benefit from."

"The real tragedy," said Carafano, "is that we're not watching The Red Card Solution documentary in the White House screening room on Thursday when the President has his Immigration summit meeting." www.redcardsolution.com

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Julie Fairchild Julie@Lovell-Fairchild.com 214-536-0037
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Website: http://www.redcardsolution.com

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But America's temporary worker needs are not just at the low end of the scale," Moore continued. "We need workers with PhDs and high level educations. Currently, foreign students come into the U.S. and get great educations, then we won't renew their visas to stay here and work. So we're exporting that great talent American business might benefit from."

What about American workers "with PHDs and high level educations"? There are not enough of them? If not, why not? Are there really not enough Americans applying to graduate schools? Or do foreign students get priority in admissions to graduate programs over American applicants, in the name of diversity?