From Democrats.com -Democrats Offer Concrete, Workable Alternative to Bush's Disastrously Vague 'Guest Worker' Plan -Bush's proposed "guest worker" plan is so vague and difficult to enforce that it has already given rise to serious new problems, including scams and new waves of illegal immigrants across the nation's already beleaguered borders
http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2003/national/20030612025046.shtml). The Democrats have now proposed a concrete alternative that "would offer green cards and permanent resident status to all immigrants who have been in the United States at least five years, can prove they have worked at least 24 months, and have passed background and medical checks." It would thus make it harder to import so-called guest workers, but would open the path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country. Bush would allow illegal immigrants to become legal temporary workers, but without a promise of green cards or citizenship" - a scheme guaranteed to insure migrants remain heavily exploited second class citizens.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/05/02/democrats_urge_immigration_changes/Democrats urge immigration changes
Differences seen from Bush plan
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times | May 2, 2004
WASHINGTON -- Congressional Democrats, playing catch-up with President Bush's guest worker proposal, plan to introduce an ambitious immigration restructuring bill Tuesday that would put millions of illegal immigrants on the path to citizenship but restrict the entry of future workers.<snip>
The two proposals take sharply different approaches: The Democrats would make it harder to import so-called guest workers, but would open the path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country. Bush would allow illegal immigrants to become legal temporary workers, but without a promise of green cards or citizenship.<snip>
Kerry has endorsed the concept of ''earned legalization," an amnesty for illegal immigrants who are established, working, and have passed a background check.<snip>
Bush has proposed a broad guest worker program that would allow illegal immigrants to remain in the country as long as six years. Like a funnel with a wide opening and a narrow spout, however, it would let only a few progress to green cards and citizenship. Bush has said he would support a reasonable increase in the number of available green cards, but has not said by how much.<snip>
The Democrats' guest worker program would be more restrictive than Bush's, and is likely to prove unacceptable to business groups.