Opinion

Valley Morning Star
January 15, 2001

Putting thought to immigration Texas Republican Sen. Phil Gramm's still somewhat amorphous proposal to set up a "guest worker" program for people from Mexico who are in the United States shows a certain understanding of social, economic and political reality.

Given that a certain circumspection is appropriate until details are known -- news stories last week followed a meeting in Mexico City between Gramm and other U.S. legislators with Mexican President Vicente Fox -- the proposal has the potential to be constructive for both countries.

The social and economic reality is that lots of Mexicans -- 3 million, according to one story -- are working in the United States without proper papers and, aside from the not inconsequential legal complications, it's generally a good thing for the country. The political reality is that wholesale changes in the direction of realistic quotas or open borders in U.S. immigration laws are unlikely.

What Gramm seems to be offering, as Greg Fossedal of the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution put it, is something of a third way, "an intermediate option for people who want to work in the United States but not necessarily to become permanent residents."

In general terms, Gramm proposes to issue guest worker permits good for one year to Mexicans in the United States, starting with undocumented workers already here. Those with the permit would be authorized to work, would be covered by U.S. labor laws and would be required to return to Mexico after a year.

The hope on the Mexican side is that many of those workers would bring skills and capital back home to help build the Mexican economy. The hope on the American side is that some of the hypocrisy and disrespect for law entailed in the current wink-and-nod situation will be reduced.

The real hope for Mexico, as policy analyst Robert Moffitt of the conservative Heritage Foundation said, is that Vicente Fox will be successful in opening up and invigorating a Mexican economy dominated for decades by a corrupt form of crony capitalism. "Mexico could be a real economic powerhouse, and that would be exciting for both countries," he said Friday. "If that happens illegal immigration will virtually disappear as a problem."

The devil can be in the details, and we'll wait until we see more of them to decide. A guest worker program is short of the libertarian ideal of open immigration and could have the potential -- as did the bracero program of a previous generation -- to be unduly paternalistic or exploitative. But initiating a discussion about how to accommodate reality is a good idea.

A way to remember MLK
It's an American tradition to honor noteworthy events and people by granting state or national holidays. But it's commonplace to ask what the holiday achieves if it means nothing more than a day off.

Today is the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday, commemorating what would have been the civil rights leader's 72nd birthday. The King legacy is still debated, given that his actions helped improve freedom for African-Americans, but also led after his death to expansive federal regulations that increased federal control of American life.

What's the appropriate thing to do?

One idea comes from the late reverend's eldest son, Martin Luther King III, who is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "Do Something Kindness & Justice Challenge" urges young people to use the holiday as inspiration to help others and to focus on justice, compassion. responsibility, non-violence and moral courage.

We don't know all the details. But if it shies away from government edicts, it might be the best way to honor the civil rights leader's legacy.

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