Arlen Specter: “the objectives outlined by the Senator from California I agree with; that is, to have a period of time to find an…”

“the objectives outlined by the Senator from California I agree with; that is, to have a period of time to find an American worker so that we don't have a guest worker fill a job when there is an American worker available. We ought to do that--to protect American jobs before we bring in guest workers. The bill currently has a 90-day period during which employers find out if there are willing American workers before a job is offered to a guest worker. I believe that is a preferable course. You spend 90 days looking for an American to fill the job, but if you find, at the expiration of the 90 days, there is no American who wants the job, then you give the job to a guest worker, as opposed to giving the job to a guest worker and then looking for somebody for 90 days after that. That keeps the guest worker on tenterhooks, not knowing whether he or she has the job or not. That may lead the prospective guest worker to go elsewhere and conceivably could lead the prospective guest worker to try to enter the United States illegally since he or she doesn't know whether or not they have the job.”