Friday, February 20, 2004

Trabajo: Bush's proposal to allow illegal aliens to register and work in the U.S. legally seems to have prompted more immigrants to jump across the border.

That's interesting. I'm in favor of relaxing immigration rules, especially for Mexicans, because these people are vital to the well-being of our economy, and at the same time we're helping those who aren't as well off find an opportunity to work and support their families.

But I was skeptical of Bush's proposal to allow illegal immigrants to register with the federal government for temporary legal status. These immigrants don't trust government, and I wouldn't suspect that they would want to let Uncle Sam know where they were so they could be easily deported when their time expired.

However, looking at the excitement Bush's proposal is causing at the border, maybe it's being positively received. Immigrants could reap some legal protection while they work at their jobs, making it more difficult to exploit them.

It's still too soon to tell if this proposal will work. But it might be a good first step towards an eventual solution. And at least some people are beginning to realize that the immigrants who enter this country help more than they hurt, and that they deserve some help in return.