    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [June 23, 1995]
    [Pages 937-938]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Guestworker Legislation
    June 23, 1995

        I oppose efforts in the Congress to institute a new guestworker or
    bracero program that seeks to bring thousands of foreign workers into
    the United States to provide temporary farm labor.
        In its most recent report, the bipartisan Commission on Immigration
    Reform chaired by Barbara Jordan unanimously concluded that a large-
    scale guestworker program would be a ``grievous mistake.'' We have
    worked hard to reduce illegal immigration and have made great progress
    toward controlling this longstanding and serious problem. To allow so-
    called temporary workers

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    to cross the border now would undermine all the success we have
    achieved.
        A new guestworker program is unwarranted for several reasons:
         It would increase illegal immigration.
         It would reduce work opportunities for U.S. citizens and
    other legal residents.
         It would depress wages and work standards for American
    workers.
        When these programs were tried in the past, many temporary
    guestworkers stayed permanently--and illegally--in this country.
    Hundreds of thousands of immigrants now residing in the U.S. first came
    as temporary workers, and their presence became a magnet for other
    illegal immigrants.
        If our crackdown on illegal immigration contributes to labor
    shortages--especially for perishable crops that require large numbers of
    workers for short periods of time--I will direct the Departments of
    Labor and Agriculture to work cooperatively to improve and enhance
    existing programs to meet the labor requirements of our vital
    agricultural industry consistent with our obligations to American
    workers.