Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017

jakeim86 · 05-23-2017, 05:09 PM

http://www.latimes.com/politics/esse...htmlstory.html

Quote:

California's senators just proposed a path to legal status and citizenship for farmworkers

California's two Democratic senators filed legislation Wednesday that would shield farmworkers who are in the country illegally from deportation and create a path to citizenship.

“Everywhere I travel in California, I hear from farmers, growers and producers from all industries — wine, citrus, fruit and tree nuts, dairy — that there aren’t enough workers,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a statement. “Farm labor is performed almost exclusively by undocumented immigrants — a fact that should surprise no one."

Nine in 10 agriculture workers in California are foreign-born, and more than half are undocumented, according to federal numbers. Despite rising wages, California farmers have said they cannot hire enough native-born workers.

The bill is also backed by senators from Colorado, Vermont and Hawaii, but there's been no broad talk in Congress of reforming immigration laws this year. With Democrats in the minority and unable to direct when legislation may be considered, the proposed Agricultural Worker Program Act faces an uphill battle.

It would allow undocumented farmworkers who have worked in agriculture for at least 100 days in each of the previous two years to earn a “blue card," which would allow them to work legally.

They would eventually be eligible for a green card or legal permanent residency, which opens the door to earning citizenship.

“It’s past time and smart for our economy that we provide them a pathway to citizenship, decent working conditions, and the opportunity to come out of the shadows and more fully contribute to our state and national economy,” Sen. Kamala Harris said in a statement.

Immigrant · 05-23-2017, 06:04 PM

Yea, but how many Dreamers here are willing to be back-breaking agricultural workers?

Got_Daca · 05-23-2017, 07:49 PM

What a strange move of CA Sens in this climate.

It has zero chance of passing.

Maybe they want to negotiate a CIR?

AztecAztec · 05-23-2017, 08:26 PM

Will never pass, but it would be easy to game the system.

You work doing farmwork 10 to 15 hours a week, and you get an EAD not limited to farmwork.

Rent a half an acre, do some farm to table growing on the weekend and get a blue card for you and your family. Work a day job during the week. Five years later, a green card.

dtrt09 · 05-24-2017, 09:57 AM

All evidence to the contrary - latin immigrants have an incredibly strong work ethic; there's no evidence that suggests they only want to work 15 hrs a week. However, should they choose seasonal agricultural work, so what? They have been doing backbreaking labor for years.

AztecAztec · 05-24-2017, 10:40 AM

@dtrto9 Not saying anything about work ethic ( and I hear Jamaicans have really strong work ethic too ) did not mean for it to sound like that.

I was mainly thinking about young people who did not qualify for DACA and are doing farm work but would rather be doing something else.

Anyway, the bill is DOA, and it was just a passing thought.

Demise · 05-24-2017, 01:37 PM

This bill has been floating around for ages and it will never pass. Formerly known as AgJobs. Nobody will touch it because the moment the indentured servants can find something better they'll flee and you're back to square one - no one working the fields except the new arrivals.

Besides how long could tie someone down to a farm? Anything over 180 days to prove that they did work there won't hold on 13th amendment grounds.

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Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017