MONTERREY, Mexico (AP):

The U.S. Congress' new immigration plan was bad news for tens of thousands of poor Mexicans who depend on a U.S. guest worker programme for temporary jobs in agriculture, and other seasonal work such as landscaping and construction.

Millions of would-be migrants have been holding tight to President Bush's promise that they could one day apply for temporary visas to get a glimpse of the American dream.

At the U.S. Consulate in Monterrey, which hands out more temporary visas than any other consulate or embassy in the world, Edmundo Bermudez, a 36-year-old from the northern city of Durango, said the plan rewards those who have already entered the United States illegally, while shutting out those who stayed home hoping to gain legal passage.

He was especially offended by the plan to give preference to migrants with degrees and skills.

"The United States already has enough people with college degrees. Who is going to cut their tobacco?" asked Bermudez, who has been working intermittently in the U.S. for the past eight years. In Mexico, he makes about US$10 (€7.40) a day, while in the U.S.he earns almost that US$8 (€5.90) in an hour.

The proposal, unveiled Thursday in Washington, is devoid of Bush's original plan to grant three-year visas to migrants living in their native countries. Instead, it focuses on securing the border and giving illegal residents a path toward legal residency, while gradually giving preference for new visas to those with advanced degrees and highly specialised skills.

Many in Mexico and U.S. employers who say they need workers for low-skilled jobs had hoped Congress would expand the guest worker program and allow more to cross legally, work a few months and then return home with their savings to build homes and businesses.