Bush, Jobs and Immigration

Listening to President Bush’s latest pronouncements on immigration, it’s easy to spot him speaking to the interests of big corporations: That’s the part about a guest worker program to ensure a constant supply of low-wage labor in the United States. It’s also easy to see where the president plays to the xenophobic fears of his right-wing base: That’s the rest of the speech, focused from top to bottom on cracking down and banishing all undocumented immigrants from our pristine shores.

But where do ordinary Americans fit in?

We’re just trying to gain or hold onto a middle-class standard of living: pay the mortgage, hang onto a job with decent pay and benefits, and hope there’s still Social Security around by the time we retire. Thirty-six million immigrants, including more than 10 million undocumented immigrants, living and working in the United States have a powerful impact on our ability to do those things. Read the article here.

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