Guest Workers?

I have a LOT of reservations about a Guest Worker program! That said, I think it might be part of a solution on immigration if done right. First of all, NOTHING should be given to people here illegally. We should take away their incentive to come here illegally, as well. Start with better enforcement for employers; which is not an easy task! If you can discourage the hiring of illegal aliens, it should take some pressure off the border. I still say NO to driver's licenses and government benefits to those here illegally.

These steps should be countered by creating a more efficient process for those willing to come here legally. Time SHOULD be taken to do a criminal search, fingerprinting and detailed photographs of these people. But this amount of time should not be in years. I'm not sure, but I believe most Mexicans would prefer to have a short wait versus crossing hundreds of miles of hot unsafe desert! They say that the overwhelming percentage of them are decent, hardworking people. Most of these people just want to send a few bucks to their families in Mexico. I suppose we'll find out when they are documented!

The most important thing is to furnish these people with a taxpayer ID number. If they are using our services, they should help to pay for them. Perhaps, they should be required to pay into a fund for guest worker services.