Reflections on the Migratory Reforms Proposed by the United States

In this text, the author analyzes the political import of the migratory reform plan presented by President Bush on January 7, 2004. According to Meissner, the central issue at stake here is the fact that existing migration laws simply do not work, and she proceeds to single out the demands that must be met for a solution to this: safe borders; the plan should take into consideration the country’s economic needs; US workers should have an advantage over foreign workers, and there should be incentives for such workers to return to their native countries. The author then mentions some specific points of the proposal, such as the creation of a temporary workers program, better monitoring to ensure the enforcement of labor laws, and heavy fines for offenders. In Meissner’s view, these proposals are tantamount to an extremely important political statement by the US government, but she believes it will take Congress two to three years to pass them. Given the timing of the announcement, she wonders whether this is not more a political maneuver than a wellintentioned effort to amend migratory laws. This, she says, will only come to light later on in the year.