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Matt Gonzalez, former San Francisco Board of Supervisor, San Francisco Mayoral Candidate, and 2008 Vice Presidential Independent Candidate, sounded off against the American guest worker visas, complaining that it subjects low-skilled workers to poor working conditions and to low pay.
In contrast to Gonzalez's argument, the Southern Poverty Law Center published an article about exploited Mexican workers in their newsletter, describing the deplorable treatment undocumented workers received. In this context, the employer gets away with breaking laws, knowing low-income and poor workers need jobs, but is not held accountable to the labor laws of the United States.
Both arguments contain valid points, especially as they regard to working conditions and wage rates. However, when face to face with the realities of the life of a migrant worker, who cannot find work in his/her home country, you begin to understand that possessing a valid work visa is preferable because it is safer and more secure.
Guest Workers in the United States
Guest workers have been part of the labor mosaic since the 1800s, when blue collar workers arrived onto American shores to work in the steel yards and farm fields. In the early 19th century, such workers came from primarily Europe and China, a trend that ended with the commencement of World War I (1914) and the enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1948), respectively.
At the end of the Mexican-American War (1848), Mexicans enjoyed free passage into the United States until 1924, when the border patrol program began. And then, in 1942 the Bracero Program was ratified into the guest worker visa program, allowing for the entry of low-skilled Mexicans to work on American farms. These days, alongside Mexicans, guest workers come predominantly from Jamaica and Guatemala.
Guest worker programs were modified according to the labor needs of American industries. Low pay and slave-like, work conditions have been hotly contested issues, especially among labor and civil rights activists, which takes the focus away from some of the benefits of these visas.
Types of Guest Worker Visas
There are three types of guest worker visas. This list includes the one issued to high skilled, professional workers (H-1B). The hotly debated visas, however, are the H-2A and the H-2B temporary non-immigrant worker visas, which usually accompany low-skilled workers.