Guest Workers

The debate on immigration reform needs recognize a few issue.

I happen to agree that forcing a person who is wanting to immigrate into a guest worker program is unfair. Such a system marginalizes the immigrant.

However, we should recognized in our debate that there are people who really want to to be guest workers. There are people who simply want to come to the United States for a few years. Work, then return home with their experience abroad and money from their work.

Forcing people who want to be a guest worker into a citizenship path is as absurd as pushing people who want to be immigrants into a guest worker path.

I would love to be a guest worker in Europe for a year or two so that I could experience a different culture. I would not want to immigrate to France.

This brings up the second issue that I have not heard debated.

All of the debate that we hear is about the need for the United States to liberalize its immigration policies. The debates we have should also bring up the immigration policies of other countries. There are very few countries in this world that allow Americans to work or immigrate to their country.

As the US liberalizes its immigration policies, we should demand that other nations liberalize their policies as well.