For countries that are deeply embedded in the global economic system, stopping migration entirely would require an even harsher and more restrictive approach than what we see today. Guest worker programs, often presented as a solution to border chaos, are actually built on structural inequalities that trap migrant workers in a cycle of dependence, separation, and exploitation.

The Expansion of Guest Worker Programs

Despite anti-immigration rhetoric, many populist leaders, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, have continued expanding guest worker programs. This contradiction is striking—leaders who campaign against immigration often end up supporting economic immigration. Trump, for example, maintained the legal cap on low-skilled guest worker visas set by his predecessor and added nearly 65,000 more for 2025. This move mirrors a broader global trend where nationalist leaders still rely on foreign labor to sustain their economies.

At first glance, guest worker programs seem to offer a structured and legal way for foreign laborers to find work, particularly from Mexico and Latin America. However, the reality for these workers is far from fair or humane.

A Life of Separation: The Story of Dismas Morales

To understand the impact of guest worker programs, consider the story of Dismas Morales, a Mexican seasonal worker in Driggs, Idaho. Morales had spent half his life working in the U.S. by the time he was just 32. Every April, since finishing school in his small hometown in Michoacán, he traveled north to work for a landscaping company. His employer valued him highly—even attending his wedding—but U.S. immigration policies ensured that Morales’s wife and children were never allowed to visit him in Idaho, even for a short vacation.

His wife, Lourdes Rodriguez, recalled how she and Morales had built their relationship through phone calls and short visits back home. When they married, they hoped she could visit him in the U.S., but her visa application was denied. The immigration system is designed to keep workers like Morales coming and going without any real chance of settling with their families.

The Hidden Cost of Guest Worker Programs

While Morales was able to provide a better life for his family—building a two-story home, buying a farm, and ensuring his children received a good education—his absence was a permanent wound in their lives. His children grew up with a father who was always leaving and returning, creating an endless cycle of adjustment and loss.

The U.S. relies heavily on guest workers but deliberately prevents them from becoming permanent residents. These workers pay taxes, contribute to local economies, and become essential members of their communities, yet they remain excluded from the rights and privileges of full membership. Even employers who want to help long-term employees gain residency often find the legal system impossibly restrictive.

Why Do Guest Worker Programs Exist?

The fundamental issue behind guest worker programs is global economic inequality. If workers could find good jobs in their home countries, they wouldn’t have to migrate in the first place. The very existence of large-scale guest worker programs assumes that entire populations will remain economically disadvantaged and willing to leave their homes just to survive.

In many cases, guest workers are filling jobs that locals don’t want to do, often because wages are too low or conditions too harsh. Instead of improving wages and conditions for all workers, governments and corporations rely on a rotating workforce of migrants who have little bargaining power. The system is designed to keep these workers in a state of dependency while ensuring they can never become full members of the societies they serve.

Global Patterns of Economic Immigration

The contradictions in immigration policies aren’t limited to the U.S. In Europe, right-wing governments often campaign on anti-immigration platforms while quietly increasing economic immigration. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has built his political career on demonizing migrants, yet his government has invited 500,000 foreign workers to sustain Hungary’s growing electric car industry. He promises this won’t lead to “ghettos,” but history suggests otherwise—especially considering the language barriers and social hostility that many immigrants face.

Similarly, Poland has seen record-high immigration despite its ruling party’s anti-refugee stance. The country, which prides itself on maintaining its cultural identity, has nonetheless embraced economic immigration to sustain its integration into the broader European economy. This contradiction ultimately cost the ruling Law and Justice party its hold on power, as it failed to resolve the deeper economic issues driving migration.

Can Migration Be Stopped?

The idea that migration can simply be “stopped” ignores the complex forces that drive people to leave their homes. Many countries in the Global South—from Senegal to Syria to El Salvador—have suffered economic devastation due to global trade policies, conflicts, and foreign interventions. Rebuilding these nations would take generations, and yet, even politicians who campaign on anti-immigration platforms have no real interest in addressing these deeper issues.

Instead, countries like the U.S. want the benefits of global capitalism while keeping the costs at a distance. For example, while the U.S. extracts resources from countries like Ukraine for its own benefit, it simultaneously builds walls to keep Ukrainian workers out. As the U.S. seeks to dominate artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced industries, it continues to drain other countries of their best talent through skilled guest worker programs, even at the expense of its own workers.

The Historical Context of Mass Migration

Mass migration has been a constant feature of history, from the Age of Exploration to the Industrial Revolution. Today, as we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution driven by AI and digital technologies, migration continues to rise alongside economic expansion and globalization.

If governments truly wanted to stop migration, they would need to double down on restrictive measures—deportations, militarized borders, and surveillance states. This would not only be inhumane but also economically damaging, as many industries depend on migrant labor to function.

What Can Be Done?

While migration is a complex issue, there are practical steps that could make the system fairer:

• Pathways to Residency: Workers who have spent years contributing to an economy should have a chance to apply for permanent residency.
• Fair Wages and Working Conditions: Instead of relying on guest workers for low-paying jobs, governments should push for better wages and protections for all workers.
• Stronger Support for Developing Countries: If people could find stable jobs at home, fewer would feel forced to migrate. Investing in economic development and fair trade policies can help.
• Balanced Immigration Policies: Instead of treating migrants as disposable labor, countries should create policies that respect their rights and contributions.

Conclusion

The expansion of guest worker programs reflects a deeper contradiction in modern politics. Many leaders campaign on promises to reduce immigration, yet they continue to support economic immigration to keep industries running. Meanwhile, the workers who sustain these economies remain stuck in a system that keeps them apart from their families and denies them full participation in the society they serve.

Addressing this issue requires more than just border enforcement—it requires a fundamental shift in how we think about labor, migration, and global economic justice. Until then, guest worker programs will continue to be a cruel solution to a problem that powerful nations helped create in the first place.