Undocumented immigrants willing to join temporary guest work
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11031438.htm
Undocumented immigrants willing to join temporary guest worker program
By Dave Montgomery
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON – A new survey of undocumented immigrants from Mexico shows that most want to become permanent residents of the United States but would participate in a temporary guest worker program envisioned by President Bush.
The study by the Pew Hispanic Center, released Wednesday and based on nearly 5,000 interviews, also offers a first-of-a-kind statistical snapshot of illegal immigrants. More than 40 percent came to the United States within the last five years, according to the survey, and as many as one-half say they have children in U.S. schools.
They tend to be young, predominately male, struggle with the English language and gravitate toward jobs in construction, manufacturing, and the hospitality industry. Their yearly income ranges from $5,200 to $26,000.
They are better educated than their counterparts in Mexico, but poorly educated by U.S. standards.
The six-month-long study, completed in January and released Wednesday, surveyed 4,836 Mexican adults in seven U.S. cities with large or growing Hispanic populations: Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Raleigh, N.C., and Fresno, Calif.
The participants were not asked about their U.S. immigration status, but more than half – 2,566 – said they did not have any form of identification issued by the U.S. government. The interviews were conducted through questionnaires while the participants were at Mexican consulates applying for Mexican identification documents.
The Pew Hispanic Center is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. Its director, Robert Suro, said the survey provides ``an extraordinary view of a population that by its very nature is exceptionally difficult to measure and study.’’
The research findings could further stoke a contentious debate in Congress over how to deal with millions of illegal immigrants, primarily from Mexico, who are entering the United States in search of better jobs and living conditions.
Bush has made immigration reform a high priority of his second term and is asking Congress to create a temporary guest worker program that would allow immigrants to stay in the country up to six years, filling jobs that Americans don’t want. They would be required to return home after completing the program.
Under the Republican president’s initiative, those now living illegally in the United States – as many as 10 million, including up to a million in Texas – would be eligible to participate. Conservative Republicans in the House, however, believe illegal immigrants should be deported before being eligible for guest employment in this country.
The Pew Center’s Survey of Mexican Migrants shows that the Bush proposal has overwhelming support among its intended beneficiaries. By a four-to-one margin - 71 percent to 18 percent - immigrants said they would participate in a program that would allow them to work in the United States but require their eventual return to Mexico.
By a similar margin, 72 per cent to 17 percent, the participants supported permanent legalization for migrants who have lived in the United States for five years, held a steady job and avoided entanglements with the law.
Another criticism of Bush’s proposal - primarily from Democrats and allied groups - is that it fails to provide an avenue for permanent legal status and eventual U.S. citizenship.
Nearly 60 percent said they want to stay in the United States ``as long as I can’’ or ``for the rest of my life.’’ But 27 percent, displaying strong ties to their home country, said they wanted to return home after five years or less.
Two-thirds expressed support for a proposal by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to create an employee-sponsored savings account that would be available to participants in a temporary guest worker program only after they return to Mexico. Cornyn, chairman of a Senate subcommittee on immigration, is proposing a guest worker program similar to that of the president.
In a finding that could fuel complaints that illegal immigrants pose a burden on U.S. services, many of the immigrants said they have children in U.S. schools, though the percentage varied widely from city to city.
The number was largest in Fresno, where 58 percent said their children are in school. But the responses were also sizeable in the other cities: Los Angeles, 45 percent; Chicago, 34 percent; Dallas, 25 percent, New York, 23 percent, Raleigh, 21 percent; and Atlanta, 30 percent.
The flow of migration from Mexico has been changing since the 1980s, the survey said, with greater participation from women. New arrivals have continued to flock to traditional destinations, such as Los Angeles, but are increasingly heading to newer settlements in Raleigh and New York. In-bound migrants also have extensive family networks in this country, the survey said.
``All of these trends appeared to accelerate in the late 1990s when Mexican migration surged in response to an economic crisis in Mexico and a booming economy in the United States,’’ the study said.
The survey provides other demographic details, including: - The largest age group - 48 percent - was between 18 to 29. The percentage in that age group was even higher - 60 percent - for those who said they had no U.S. identification.
- Among all of those surveyed, 43 percent said they have lived in the United States five years or less. Sixty percent of the acknowledged undocumented residents said they entered the country within the past five years.
- Twenty-nine percent earn between $10,400 to $15,500 a year, and another 22 percent earn between $15,600 to $20,000. Five percent fall in the lowest salary range - $100 a week, or $5,200 a year - while another five percent drew the top salary listed - $500 a week, or $26,000 a year. The average U.S. annual salary is $36,700.
- Fifty-four percent said they speak little or no English. Another 44 percent said their English proficiency ranges from some to a lot.
- Forty-six percent are married, 39 percent are single, ten percent have common-law marriages, and five percent are separated, divorced or widowed. A total of 54 percent said they have children in the United States, compared to 12 percent whose children live elsewhere.
Dave Montgomery reports from Washington for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Undocumented immigrants willing to join temporary guest work
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11031438.htm
Undocumented immigrants willing to join temporary guest worker program
By Dave Montgomery
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON – A new survey of undocumented immigrants from Mexico shows that most want to become permanent residents of the United States but would participate in a temporary guest worker program envisioned by President Bush.
The study by the Pew Hispanic Center, released Wednesday and based on nearly 5,000 interviews, also offers a first-of-a-kind statistical snapshot of illegal immigrants. More than 40 percent came to the United States within the last five years, according to the survey, and as many as one-half say they have children in U.S. schools.
They tend to be young, predominately male, struggle with the English language and gravitate toward jobs in construction, manufacturing, and the hospitality industry. Their yearly income ranges from $5,200 to $26,000.
They are better educated than their counterparts in Mexico, but poorly educated by U.S. standards.
The six-month-long study, completed in January and released Wednesday, surveyed 4,836 Mexican adults in seven U.S. cities with large or growing Hispanic populations: Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Raleigh, N.C., and Fresno, Calif.
The participants were not asked about their U.S. immigration status, but more than half – 2,566 – said they did not have any form of identification issued by the U.S. government. The interviews were conducted through questionnaires while the participants were at Mexican consulates applying for Mexican identification documents.
The Pew Hispanic Center is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. Its director, Robert Suro, said the survey provides ``an extraordinary view of a population that by its very nature is exceptionally difficult to measure and study.’’
The research findings could further stoke a contentious debate in Congress over how to deal with millions of illegal immigrants, primarily from Mexico, who are entering the United States in search of better jobs and living conditions.
Bush has made immigration reform a high priority of his second term and is asking Congress to create a temporary guest worker program that would allow immigrants to stay in the country up to six years, filling jobs that Americans don’t want. They would be required to return home after completing the program.
Under the Republican president’s initiative, those now living illegally in the United States – as many as 10 million, including up to a million in Texas – would be eligible to participate. Conservative Republicans in the House, however, believe illegal immigrants should be deported before being eligible for guest employment in this country.
The Pew Center’s Survey of Mexican Migrants shows that the Bush proposal has overwhelming support among its intended beneficiaries. By a four-to-one margin - 71 percent to 18 percent - immigrants said they would participate in a program that would allow them to work in the United States but require their eventual return to Mexico.
By a similar margin, 72 per cent to 17 percent, the participants supported permanent legalization for migrants who have lived in the United States for five years, held a steady job and avoided entanglements with the law.
Another criticism of Bush’s proposal - primarily from Democrats and allied groups - is that it fails to provide an avenue for permanent legal status and eventual U.S. citizenship.
Nearly 60 percent said they want to stay in the United States ``as long as I can’’ or ``for the rest of my life.’’ But 27 percent, displaying strong ties to their home country, said they wanted to return home after five years or less.
Two-thirds expressed support for a proposal by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to create an employee-sponsored savings account that would be available to participants in a temporary guest worker program only after they return to Mexico. Cornyn, chairman of a Senate subcommittee on immigration, is proposing a guest worker program similar to that of the president.
In a finding that could fuel complaints that illegal immigrants pose a burden on U.S. services, many of the immigrants said they have children in U.S. schools, though the percentage varied widely from city to city.
The number was largest in Fresno, where 58 percent said their children are in school. But the responses were also sizeable in the other cities: Los Angeles, 45 percent; Chicago, 34 percent; Dallas, 25 percent, New York, 23 percent, Raleigh, 21 percent; and Atlanta, 30 percent.
The flow of migration from Mexico has been changing since the 1980s, the survey said, with greater participation from women. New arrivals have continued to flock to traditional destinations, such as Los Angeles, but are increasingly heading to newer settlements in Raleigh and New York. In-bound migrants also have extensive family networks in this country, the survey said.
``All of these trends appeared to accelerate in the late 1990s when Mexican migration surged in response to an economic crisis in Mexico and a booming economy in the United States,’’ the study said.
The survey provides other demographic details, including: - The largest age group - 48 percent - was between 18 to 29. The percentage in that age group was even higher - 60 percent - for those who said they had no U.S. identification.
- Among all of those surveyed, 43 percent said they have lived in the United States five years or less. Sixty percent of the acknowledged undocumented residents said they entered the country within the past five years.
- Twenty-nine percent earn between $10,400 to $15,500 a year, and another 22 percent earn between $15,600 to $20,000. Five percent fall in the lowest salary range - $100 a week, or $5,200 a year - while another five percent drew the top salary listed - $500 a week, or $26,000 a year. The average U.S. annual salary is $36,700.
- Fifty-four percent said they speak little or no English. Another 44 percent said their English proficiency ranges from some to a lot.
- Forty-six percent are married, 39 percent are single, ten percent have common-law marriages, and five percent are separated, divorced or widowed. A total of 54 percent said they have children in the United States, compared to 12 percent whose children live elsewhere.
Dave Montgomery reports from Washington for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
