The House of Representatives approved a measure on Dec. 11 that could give legal status to some illegal immigrants who work on farms.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act passed 260–165.
Democrats made up most of the approving votes with 226, while three voted against, one voted present, and three didnt vote. Thirty-four Republicans voted for the bill and 161 Republicans voted against; two didnt vote.
Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), who left the Republican Party earlier this year, voted no.
The bill includes a process that would let illegal alien farmworkers become a “Certified Agricultural Worker,” a designation lasting five-and-a-half years, if theyve worked for at least six months on farms within the past two years.
The farmworkers can keep renewing the designation after it starts, or they and their families can start the process to get permanent legal status. A green card is granted to workers who have worked in agriculture for a decade or more and who work four more years, or to workers who have worked for fewer than 10 years on farms who work eight more years.
The bill also cuts some red tape thats part of a visa program called H-2A, which lets farms source workers from outside the United States.
“This bill is a compromise. Its not exactly what I would have written, but it does stabilize the workforce,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who sponsored the bill, said on the House floor.
“We have farmworkers who have been here for a very long time without their papers, living in fear and in some cases, being arrested and deported.”
According to a 2018 Pew Research Center report (pdf), Americans make up about 75 percent of the 2.1 million workers in farming, fishing, and forestry. Illegal aliens make up approximately 325,000 of those in working in the industries.
Groups pushing for immigration reform criticized the bill.
“Absolutely disgraceful anti-modernity corporatist giveaway,” said Andrew Good, an analyst at NumbersUSA, in a statement.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform said in a statement that farms should hire Americans before bringing foreigners in on visas.
“These arent your small family farms. Were talking about a huge mega-corporation. For 50 years, American voters have told these corporations to either use machinery for harvesting or find American workers. Yet big agriculture continues to demand and get a steady flow of foreign workers, usually here illegally,” it said.
Some groups that typically promote Democrats also voiced criticism.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) said in a letter (pdf) to Democratic House leaders: “Farmworker groups are not unanimous in their support for this bill. Community to Community (C2C), a farmworker advocacy organization in Bellingham, Washington, and others have concerns about Read More – Source
