Migrant workers are a problem that is increasingly being addressed. It has become increasingly important, as a number of factors, including the rapid expansion of the population and higher rates of urbanization, are driving many people to look for better economic opportunities in other countries.
The International Labor Organization estimates that there are about 96 million migrant workers and their dependents in the world today. Some experts predict that their number will double in the next twenty years.
In the United States, there are 6.3 million illegal workers in the United States, according to estimates from the Pew Latin American Center. About half of them are from Mexico. These illegal Mexican immigrants are at the center of an ongoing dispute about how the United States should deal with illegal immigration.
A common belief is that Mexicans immigrate to the United States to find work. But, according to a study conducted by the center, the lack of jobs in Mexico is not the main reason that immigrants illegally come to the United States. Rather, immigrants are driven out of their home country due to low wages in Mexico, poor quality of work and lack of long-term prospects and opportunities.
The results of the study were based on interviews with 4,836 men and women applying for Mexican identity cards at consulates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Fresno, Atlanta, and Raleigh, North Carolina
The study showed that only 5% of Mexican immigrants who had been in the United States for less than two years were unemployed in Mexico. In fact, the vast majority of undocumented migrants interviewed were hired before they left for the United States.
The study also showed that it was not easy for immigrants to find work in the United States, despite the lack of legal rights to work. After six months in the United States, only 5% of immigrants reported that they were unemployed. These statistics show how important these migrant workers are for the economy of the United States, as they perform jobs that few others want to do.
And they do it for low wages. Immigrants usually receive a poverty wage in the United States, or about $ 300 a week. While it is terribly low, these gaps are twice as large as the workers of Mexico.
According to a study by the Pew Spanish Center, Mexican immigrants provide many of the types of labor required throughout the country, including construction in Atlanta, Dallas and Raleigh; hospitality in New York; production in Chicago; and agriculture in california. These four industries account for about two thirds of survey responses.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, DC, says that it is not news that the demand for low-wage labor exists in the United States. But instead of creating programs for migrant workers or an amnesty for illegal immigrants, Krikorian advocated the gradual removal of migrant workers from the economy. In his opinion, this, among other things, will improve wages for American workers.
After the seemingly steady stream of immigrant farm workers in California and other enterprises, it’s hard to find enough people willing to work for low wages. Many immigrants prefer to work in a more risky, but better paid construction industry. Both government and civilian border patrol groups, like miniatures, are stepping up efforts to secure the border between the US and Mexico, which makes it difficult for immigrants to enter.
Government officials, including the president, want to create new legislation that will more strictly enforce immigration law.
In January 2004, President Bush outlined a plan to update the country's immigration legislation and allowed approximately eight million illegal immigrants to obtain the legal status of temporary workers, stating that the US needs an immigration system that “serves the American economy and reflects the American dream. "
Illegal immigrants already in the United States can only apply for a temporary worker’s program if they already have a job. The special status will last three years and can be renewed once, with a total stay of six years. If temporary workers could not stay at work or broke the law, they were sent home.
Bush said the new legal status would allow illegal immigrants to return to their home countries without fear that they would not be allowed to return to the United States.
The reason for the reform, according to Bush, is to confront "the basic fact of life and the economy," some of the jobs that arise in America’s growing economy are jobs that US citizens do not fill. "
Currently, about 140,000 green cards are issued annually to people who want to migrate to the United States. Bush called on Congress to raise it, but did not give a specific number.
Bush described immigration proposals as a measure of national security that would help the United States tighten border controls. “Our house will be safer when we can better explain those who enter our country,” he said. "Instead of the current situation, when millions of people are unknown ... law enforcement agencies will face minor problems with unregistered workers and better be able to focus on the real threats of our nation from criminals and terrorists."
The US Department of Homeland Security, in collaboration with the Department of Labor and other agencies, will manage the new program.
When Bush announced his ideas in early 2004, some Democratic Party leaders suggested that he was trying to increase his popularity among Hispanics as the 2004 campaign began. Senator Kennedy said: “I certainly hope that the long-awaited reorganization of the administration in this fundamental debate will be genuine, and not because of the transformation of the electoral year. The immigration status quo is outdated, unfair and unacceptable. ”
Many senators also have ideas for reforming immigration law. Republican senators John Corn from Texas and John Kiel from Arizona offered a program that would allow immigrants to work in the United States for two years and then for one year. This picture could be repeated a total of three times before the worker had to return to his homeland forever.
Senators John McCain, R-Ariz. And Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., Support legislation that will allow illegal immigrants to work in the United States for up to six years without obtaining any permits or documents. After six years, employees will have to receive a law degree or return to their homeland.
And Nebraska's Republican Senator Chuck Hagel offered to give legal status to illegal migrants if they pass a criminal test, live in the United States for at least five years, pay taxes, have English proficiency and pay $ 2,000. Before this program is implemented, Hagel wants to increase border security.
But attempts to stop the flow of immigrants entering the United States seem to be stumped. Many farmers do not want to change the system, which provides them with much-needed labor. And conservative anti-immigrant groups, such as the vigilance group, Minuteman critically oppose reform, which would in any way facilitate immigration.
“Guest worker programs are useless,” says Minuteman President Chris Simcox. “We can’t even talk about it until there is real state coercion on the border.” Minutemen is a voluntary organization of citizens opposing illegal immigration. Members patrol the US and Mexico border in search of illegal immigrants trying to cross the border.
“This is a direct challenge to President Bush,” said Simcox. "You continue to ignore this problem: our government officials, senators and congressmen will not do anything, so this is the last attempt to curtail our sleeves and do it ourselves."
Miniteny and others believe that illegal immigrants are bad for the United States, the threat of economic leakage and security. Immigrants often need help from government and social services, but because of their irregular status they often don’t pay taxes to finance these programs. Groups such as the Minutemen claim that immigrants pose a threat to national security.
Many enterprises and industries also oppose new immigrant legislation, fearing that this may further reduce the number of employees they have. Tamar Jacobi, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, says that most Americans do not want to do hard labor or farm work. Immigrants are willing and make them cheap, making their presence economical.
Those who advocate new immigrant legislation can get their way. A survey of the National Public Radio in 2004, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Kennedy Harvard School of Government found that Americans were less negative about immigration than a few years later. However, non-immigrant Americans argued that the government was not tough enough in terms of immigration. They would like the government to spend more to tighten borders.
According to http://www.census.gov, Florida has between 243,000 and 385,000 illegal immigrants. But the numbers are probably even higher, because experts say that illegal immigrants often avoid government polls. The 2002 census survey included both legal and illegal immigrants.
In the Tampa Bay area of Pinellas and Hillsboro counties, the incipient populations are growing faster than the general population. Of the more than one million Hillsboro residents, 13% are foreigners. Census data show that in the 1990s, the population of the emerging Hillsborough population increased by more than 80%, which is four times the growth rate of the population as a whole.
According to the Census Bureau, the percentage of foreign-born in Pinellas exceeded 10% in 2002. During the 1990s, the growth of the population abroad grew by 45%, which is almost six times higher than the rate of population growth.
