WASHINGTON, May 15 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush Monday called for a guest worker program to help alleviate the problem of illegal immigration.
"The reality is that there are many people on the other side of our border who will do anything to come to America to work and build a better life," Bush said. "They walk across miles of desert in the summer heat, or hide in the back of 18-wheelers to reach our country. This creates enormous pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will not stop."
Bush said a guest worker program would match foreign workers with American employers and enable officials to conduct criminal background checks to make sure those who come to the United States are honest and hard-working.
"A temporary worker program would meet the needs of our economy, and it would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families while respecting the law," Bush said. "A temporary worker program would reduce the appeal of human smugglers -- and make it less likely that people would risk their lives to cross the border. "
