Bush Plan Would Allow For Immigrants to Work Legally in U.S.

Bush is proposing a plan that would allow immigrants to legally work in the United States for at least three years after registering with authorities. Congress has not yet approved his plan. A significant increase in arrests has been made on the California-Mexico border since the proposal was made but no numbers have been made public. Workers from Mexico who are trying to enter the U.S. cite the need to get a job and some admit that they would sneak over the border anyways just to find one. Border Patrol union officials fear that thousands will take advantage of this plan, if it becomes law, resulting in a massive entrance of immigrants into the U.S. (Reza, 2004).

Among those arguing against Border Patrol officials are an administrator at the Casa del Migrante, a men's shelter. He says that the massive immigration is an exaggeration by patrol officials who dislike Bush's plan. Cities along the border explain that there has been no rise in population that would happen if thousands of people were coming into the country like the border patrol officials claim (Reza, 2004).

It is possible that the National Border Patrol Council, which is made up of 9,000 agents (Reza, 2004), is against Bush's proposal because it would make work for them more difficult if such a program were in place. The reporter fails to mention why Bush initiated this program and whether such a program could take minimum-wage jobs away from Americans who desperately need them in our slow-growing economy. Many Mexican residents were interviewed and emotion was used throughout the piece to gain support for the program. "On a recent cold, damp morning, Barita and his 18-year-old son got off a bus at the Central de Caminoes, the city's main bus terminal, after a grueling three-day ride from Oaxaca…Barita's eyes were red and bleary. He and his son carried only the clothes they were wearing" (Reza, B1, 2004).

In an attempt to ensure that people don't think the President is loosening security along the border, the Department of Homeland Security recently announced a $10 million plan to put into affect the first unmanned aircraft, several hundred more agents, and seven tent complexes to detain those illegally crossing the border. These changes are being made along the Arizona-Mexico border, one which includes 300 miles that are regularly not patrolled (Lichtblau, 2004).

Arizona border patrol agents from last October to early March apprehended almost 200,000 people, a 34% increase over the same period last year. Marijuana seizures went up almost 17% over the same period last year. Immigration officials encourage the President to look into the root causes of immigration problems (Lichtblau, 2004).

Increasing border patrol is only one-step the Bush administration should take to further protect our country. Looking into the root causes of immigration is key to understanding why so many people are illegally sneaking over the border. We will always have problems with immigrants coming into our country illegally but setting up jobs for these people will only benefit us if we have jobs to spare. It is crucial that legal citizens of the U.S. should have first priority on the job market.