General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Sen. Bernie Sanders: ending DACA "one of the ugliest and cruelest decisions ever made" [View all]lunamagica
(9,967 posts)" At a time when nearly 14 percent of the American people do not have a full-time job, at a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and at a time when tens of millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages, it makes no sense to me that the immigration reform bill includes a massive increase in temporary guest worker programs that will allow large corporations to import and bring into this country hundreds of thousands of temporary blue-collar and white-collar guest workers from overseas. That makes no sense to me."
"Here is my concern about this legislation. At a time when millions of Americans are working longer hours for low wages and have seen real cuts in their wages and benefits, this legislation would, over a period of years, bring millions of low-wage workers from other countries into the United States. If wages are already this low in Vermont and throughout the country, what happens when more and more people are forced to compete for these jobs? Sadly, in our country todayand this is a real tragedyover 25 percent of our children drop out of high school. In some minority neighborhoods, that number is even higher. What kind of jobs will be available for those young people?
The congressional record is clear - his objection to the 2007 immigration bill was based on his concern about immigrants lowering Americans wages. In debates this primary season, Bernie has excused his vote against immigration reform in 2007 saying that he voted against it because the guest worker program is akin to semi-slavery. I went through the congressional record of the 110th Congress, looking for evidence of Bernies concern about guest workers being treated as semi-slaves, being the reason for his no vote. I could find none. I invite the reader to find any speech, interview or press release any medium at all from 2007 where Bernie Sanders stated he was voting against that bill due to his concern about guest workers being treated as semi-slaves. Sen. Sanders press release from that debate also clearly states his concern about protecting American workers from immigrant workers.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/19/1480831/-Bernie-Sanders-Restrictive-Views-on-Immigration