Making Room; Argentina finds a place for its local immigrants.(Cover story)

Byline: Brian Byrnes

The fire that swept through a Buenos Aires textile plant on March 30, killing six Bolivian immigrants, left behind more than wreckage. The victims of the sweatshop blaze had no permits to work in Argentina, and their deaths pushed the government of President Nestor Kirchner to start up an innovative program that encourages illegal immigrants to register with local authorities. Known as Patria Grande (Greater Fatherland), the scheme offers a two-year residence visa to foreigners who have no criminal record and can prove they are citizens of countries affiliated with the Mercosur trading bloc. The response has been overwhelming: more than 200,000 applications have been processed since Patria Grande was unveiled on April 17, and each weekday morning hundreds and even thousands of undocumented immigrants queue up outside consulates and other government-approved offices to fill out the requisite paperwork. "Overall, this is a step in the right direction," says Juan Carlos Acero, a 26-year-old native of La Paz who moved to Argentina in 2001 and now works as a construction laborer. "This will benefit those of us who work hard and support our children."

It benefits Argentina, too. Officials contend that in addition to reducing black-market labor and discrimination, the registration program will help make Argentina's porous borders more secure, and bring in much-needed tax funds. "I think this is a good idea that deserves to be studied," says Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary-general of the Organization of American States in Washington.

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