Agricultural Personnel Management Program
University of California

1/11/01 News Report -- The Dallas Morning News

MEXICO CITY. The U.S. Senate next week will take up a new guest worker program that could start legalizing millions of undocumented Mexican workers as early as next year, U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm said Wednesday.

Guest workers were the focus of talks this week between members of the Senate Banking Committee led by its chairman, Mr. Gramm and Mexican President Vicente Fox and members of his administration.

Mr. Gramm's call for quick action on a guest worker treaty surprised American labor leaders and Latino rights advocates who said the Texas Republican traditionally has opposed immigration and labor law reforms.

Mr. Gramm said he remains opposed to illegal immigration but recognizes the need to improve working conditions for millions of Mexicans in the United States.

The guest worker initiative comes at a crucial time for Mr. Fox, who has insisted that Mexico and the United States deal with immigration problems and enact a temporary legal worker deal before the U.S. economy worsens.

In the past, anti-immigrant sentiment has swelled in the United States during economic downturns. Many vexing details remain unclear, the senators said Wednesday, but they came away from talks with Mr. Fox convinced that a foundation was laid for a new program.

Mr. Gramm said undocumented Mexicans already working north of the border -- a conservative estimate puts the number at 3 million -- are probably first in line for legitimate work permits. Also near the front of the line are about 30,000 Mexicans who work legally on farms and factories under existing, but limited, temporary worker programs.

Fixing the status of millions of undocumented Mexicans also may diminish traditional opposition to guest worker programs from American labor unions and Latino advocacy groups who consider them warmed-over "bracero" programs.

From 1942 to 1964, about 5 million Mexican men worked as braceros -- "working arms" -- on American farms and railroads, initially to fill wartime labor shortages. By its end, however, the bracero program had deteriorated amid abuses by employers and deadly workplace accidents.

Mr. Medina, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Service Employees International Union, said that if Mr. Gramm wants to talk about amnesty for undocumented immigrants, his union, which represents 1.4 million workers in the service industry, is ready to listen.

"We will, however, oppose any guest worker program that does not first deal with the needs of American workers and the status of millions of Mexicans who are now honestly working in the United States and contributing to this country's economic expansion," Mr. Medina said.

Mr. Gramm said Wednesday the time is right to discuss guest workers because of continuing labor demands and projected shortfalls in some American industries.

Mr. Gramm said he'll soon meet with President-elect George W. Bush to seek support for the initiative.

"With the U.S. economy nearing the end of this boom, we still have time to discuss and settle the problem of illegal immigration," said Rafael Fernández de Castro, an immigration expert at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico.