With the help of the Republican House leadership, Democrats want to create a “guest worker program” for Mexican nationals, similar to one proposed by President George W. Bush in 2004. Proponents say it would fill a “labor shortage” by giving low-skill jobs to Mexican laborers. Opponents argue it robs Americans of entry-level jobs from which they can build their resumes.
Yesterday, we asked readers if they thought Texans would benefit by making it easier for Mexican nationals to get jobs in the Lone Star State.
Do you want to participate in our weekly surveys?
Subscribe to the Texas Minute!
“Once these ‘guest workers’ enter the state, they won’t want to leave. I have no faith that our state will be able to monitor these workers effectively.” – Joel D. Lebsack
“Bottom line is if Bush and the Democrats are for it, I’m against it!” – Bonnie Wallace
“A program of this type cannot be implemented until and unless there is a way to enforce the temporary nature of these visas.” – Thomas Camardo
“If Texans want to continue having a low birthrate AND a hot, prosperous economy, we have no choice but to have guest workers.” – Tim Rhodes
“Although it would be nice if our nation fill these jobs with citizens, the truth of the matter is no one wants them. The job needs to get done, but our people here seem to think they can start at the top. They feel these jobs are beneath them.” – Dee Galando
“What part of the word ‘NO,’ don’t they understand? Hire bona fide US citizens!” – Jim Moyer
“The worker program should be limited to certain jobs that Americans don’t like doing. Let’s face it, Americans don’t like certain dirty jobs like working in the field.” – Teresa Greiner
“I think we need a guest worker program because there are many jobs that Americans don’t seem to want to do. They would rather be on welfare than get a manual labor job.” – William Chapman
“Until our state can guarantee the use of E-Verify and put that program into law, we should not allow any other guest worker visas since they will come here and they will never leave.” – Debbie Jacobs
“Let the federal government do their job at their expense. As long as there are citizens collecting unemployment benefits, SNAP, and Medicaid, we do not need ‘guest workers.’ We should require able-bodied people on welfare to take the jobs the ‘guest workers’ would do.” – Steve Sullivan
“Let’s clean up the workforce first and remove the illegals. Then, if we determine there is a true shortage of workers, we come up with a good plan for bringing them in and escorting them back out at the end of the project.” – Beverly Simmang
“A program for guest workers should only be considered when: 1. Americans have jobs, and 2. There are NO unauthorized/undocumented/illegal workers in the country.” – Liz Oakley
“This is just one more Demoncrat scheme to bring illegals across our border predicated by a so-called ‘labor shortage.’ These people make stuff up as they go along. They will do or say anything to push their progressive agenda forward.” – Steve Nulf
“No worker program for ANY foreign nationals. We need to worry about jobs for TEXANS, not people from other countries. I’m not against foreigners getting work visas to work in America. That’s what a work visa is for. But we don’t need an extra program for them. Give the jobs to Texans.” – Stephanie Pierson
