Freedom of Movement
Should our democracy have a guest worker program?
Every country has the right to control who crosses its borders, but due to desperate economic conditions in their home countries, millions of people enter richer, more democratic nations illegally in search of work. While foreign workers do not have the privileges and responsibilities of citizens in democracies, these workers are also human beings who have certain basic rights. Democracies try to create a fair and legal system in which both citizen and foreign workers can participate. One proposed solution is a guest worker program.
Lessons
Resources
Articles and Papers
- Rob Broomby, “Germany’s Guest Workers Mark 40 years,” BBC News (October 30, 2001)
- “Czech Republic Faces Labor Shortages,” Migration News, vol. 3 no. 4 (Davis, CA: Migration Dialogue, March 1996)
- Drum, Kevin. “Guest Workers,“ Political Animal (blog) (March 26, 2006)
- Eisenbrey, Ross and Monique Morrissey. “Guest Worker Programs Should Include Strong Wage Protections for U.S. Workers,” Issue Brief #226 (Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute, August 10, 2006)
- European Migration Centre (EMZ)
- Gerson, Daniela. “EU Proposes New Door for Legal Immigration,” Christian Science Monitor (January 17, 2007)
- “Guestworker Programs,” U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
- Martin, Philip. “There Is Nothing More Permanent Than Temporary Foreign Workers,” Backgrounder (Washington, DC: Center for Immigration Studies, 2001)
- Nickerson, Colin. “A Lesson in Immigration: Guest Worker Experiments Transformed Europe,” Boston Globe (April 19, 2006)
Audio Articles
- A 'Guest Worker' Program for California's Farms" National Public Radio (January 26, 2006)
- "Approaching Immigration as a Global Issue" National Public Radio (April 3, 2006)
- "Businesses Feel Effects of Raids on Illegal Labor," National Public Radio (October 15, 2007)
- Guest Worker Program Under Review" National Public Radio (October 22, 2007)
- "World View: Immigration and Guest Workers" National Public Radio (July 13, 2006)
