http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mp ... ok/3171384

May 8, 2005, 12:34AM

IMMIGRATION REFORM
Boldly say no to the status quo
Updating bracero program won't fix a broken system
By JOSEPH FIORENZA


AS Congress prepares to debate immigration reform, our elected officials should recall the ghosts of guest worker programs of the past. For those of us old enough to remember, the United States and Mexico have already experienced a large guest worker program eerily similar to President Bush's immigration reform proposal. Known as the bracero program, it ended abruptly in 1964 after widespread corruption and abuse against Mexican migrant workers were uncovered.

Instead of revisiting a flawed policy, the president and Congress should pursue a bold and innovative immigration reform plan that addresses every aspect of the U.S. legal immigration system. The status quo, in which the United States (and Mexico, for that matter) benefits from the toil of undocumented migrant workers without extending them the protection of law, is morally unacceptable.

A comprehensive approach is needed to properly repair a broken system.

First, a process which allows undocumented individuals and their families to work toward permanent residency is essential to the success of any new immigration program. Opponents of comprehensive immigration reform would argue that such a process would reward those who break the rules and work against those waiting in line and playing by the rules.

Some opponents gladly accept the toil and taxes of the undocumented who would benefit from a path to permanent residency and citizenship. If these workers receive legal status, they reason, other rights â€â€