Cornyn supports work visa

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Senate Republicans' new point man on immigration said that it is unrealistic to assume that the 10 million illegal aliens in the United States can be deported and that the only alternative is to create a temporary worker program that has them come forward on their own.

Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee, also said he thinks new temporary workers from overseas must return home after their work visa ends, but he is skeptical about how successful it would be to have illegal aliens return home before applying for the program in the first place.

"A program that told people you'd have to leave to go apply for it would be viewed as sufficiently punitive that people would say, 'Look, I'll just take my chances under the status quo,' which to me is not good," Mr. Cornyn told The Washington Times in a recent interview in his office in the Senate Hart Office Building.

The 53-year-old former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice comes to the immigration subcommittee after having led the Constitution subcommittee last Congress.

As a senator from Texas, he has been involved in the immigration issue since he was elected in 2002, including sponsoring his own temporary-worker bill in 2003.

He plans to hold a series of hearings, beginning with border security and document fraud issues, but hopes eventually to put together a broad package of immigration reforms.

His earlier bill would have created both seasonal and nonseasonal systems and be open both to illegal immigrants already here and foreign workers from overseas.

The nonseasonal visas would last for 12 months and be renewable for up to 36 months, during which time the government would store part of their wages, which would be paid to the worker when he completes his agreement by returning home.

"The goal of my proposal, which is really unlike any others I know of, would be to get people to return to their country of origin," he said.

Asked whether the policy should aim toward deportation of those now here illegally, Mr. Cornyn did not answer directly.