The House and Immigration Reform: Recent Developments
Last Friday, two Republican members, Representatives John Carter (TX) and Sam Johnson (TX), announced that they were leaving the bipartisan “Gang of 7” group that has been working on a comprehensive immigration reform bill for several years. They blamed President Obama and their lack of trust in his administration’s willingness and ability to enforce the law for their departure from the group. Another member of the group, Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL), a long-time leader in the fight for immigration reform, cited the lack of support from the House Republican leadership for their departure. Raul Labrador (R-ID) had left earlier in the year. Rep. Diaz-Balart (FL), the only Republican left in the group, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) each issued statements saying that they would continue to work on passing immigration reform. Rep.Becerra’s (D-CA) statement said that a majority of the House supports passing comprehensive immigration reform and called on Speaker Boehner to give them an opportunity to vote on reform.
Soon after the collapse of the bipartisan group, Representatives Grijalva (D-AZ) and Vela (D-TX) filed a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the House, the CIRASAP bill, with the goal of building momentum for reform. The Members distinguished their bill from the House leadership’s approach, particularly on border security issues, highlighting that there would be no enforcement trigger to legalization. CIRASAP is very similar to a 2009 version of the immigration reform bill, and includes the 2009 version of the AgJOBS compromise. Farmworker Justice appreciates the efforts of Reps. Grijalva and Vela to build momentum for House passage of immigration reform. Farmworker Justice continues to build support for the Agricultural Stakeholder Agreement, which was included in S.744, as well as a roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has also announced plans for Democrats to file the Senate CIR bill without the controversial border security provisions, known as the Corker-Hoeven amendment. Instead of the Senate’s border security provisions, the House bill is expected to include Rep. McCaul’s “Border Security Results Act,” HR 1417, which passed out of the House Homeland Security Committee. In addition, Republican members are reportedly working on a lesser-skilled, nonagricultural guestworker program; a legalization program for Dreamers; and legislation addressing the 11 million.
Although timing remains uncertain due to a crowded calendar on issues such as the budget, the House Republican leadership and other key Republican House members continue to say that they may address immigration legislation on the floor this fall. Passing comprehensive immigration reform remains an urgent matter. Since the Senate passed S.744, the U.S. government has deported an average 1,120 people per day. In order to help reform move forward, it is important continue to weigh in with your Members of Congress about the importance of immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the 11 million, including farmworkers and their families and about the need to include the hard-fought agricultural stakeholder agreement. We believe that with all of our continued efforts, the passage of immigration reform remains a strong possibility.
Farmworker Justice has endorsed the National Day of Dignity and Respect, which will take place on October 5th and 8th. On the 5th, communities will hold rallies across the Nation calling for commonsense immigration reform with a path to citizenship for the 11 million. The groups will also call for a comprehensive solution that promotes family unity, protects worker rights, and ends family separation through deportations, without massive wasteful spending on unneeded border militarization. As part of National Day of Dignity and Respect events, the United Farm Workers is launching the “Harvesting the American Dream” Campaign where hundreds of UFW staff members and volunteers will be visiting 100 of the largest farms in California to energize and inspire farm workers and send a clear message to Congress: “We want immigration reform today, not tomorrow.” On October 8th, there will be a national rally and concert by Los Tigres del Norte in Washington, DC.
For more information on these events, visit www.octoberimmigration.org.
In Other News
On Wednesday, 20 ex-Bracero workers from Mexico and California ended a 22-day cross country protest at the White House. They made the trip to demand wages that were never paid to them. The Bracero Program, a product of agreements between the U.S. and Mexico, was a notoriously abusive agricultural guestworker program that ran from 1942 – 1964. For part of the program, U.S. employers withheld 10% of workers’ wages and placed them in Mexican banks where the workers were supposed to be able to retrieve them upon their return to Mexico. However, many Bracero workers never received those wages. By the mid-60s, many in Congress and the Administration came to recognize the program’s shortcomings and abuses and chose to end it. Today, Rep. Goodlatte’s Agricultural Guestworker Act has fewer protections than the Bracero Program. It would also have employers deduct 10% of agricultural guestworkers’ wages from their paychecks, only this time the U.S. government would hold the money in a trust account. Workers would have to apply to the consulate in their home country upon return to get their hard-earned wages.
REMINDER: Farmworker Justice’s Wine & Jazz Reception fundraiser is this Wednesday, October 2, 2013. Information and tickets are available here.
Last Friday, two Republican members, Representatives John Carter (TX) and Sam Johnson (TX), announced that they were leaving the bipartisan “Gang of 7” group that has been working on a comprehensive immigration reform bill for several years. They blamed President Obama and their lack of trust in his administration’s willingness and ability to enforce the law for their departure from the group. Another member of the group, Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL), a long-time leader in the fight for immigration reform, cited the lack of support from the House Republican leadership for their departure. Raul Labrador (R-ID) had left earlier in the year. Rep. Diaz-Balart (FL), the only Republican left in the group, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) each issued statements saying that they would continue to work on passing immigration reform. Rep.Becerra’s (D-CA) statement said that a majority of the House supports passing comprehensive immigration reform and called on Speaker Boehner to give them an opportunity to vote on reform.
Soon after the collapse of the bipartisan group, Representatives Grijalva (D-AZ) and Vela (D-TX) filed a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the House, the CIRASAP bill, with the goal of building momentum for reform. The Members distinguished their bill from the House leadership’s approach, particularly on border security issues, highlighting that there would be no enforcement trigger to legalization. CIRASAP is very similar to a 2009 version of the immigration reform bill, and includes the 2009 version of the AgJOBS compromise. Farmworker Justice appreciates the efforts of Reps. Grijalva and Vela to build momentum for House passage of immigration reform. Farmworker Justice continues to build support for the Agricultural Stakeholder Agreement, which was included in S.744, as well as a roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has also announced plans for Democrats to file the Senate CIR bill without the controversial border security provisions, known as the Corker-Hoeven amendment. Instead of the Senate’s border security provisions, the House bill is expected to include Rep. McCaul’s “Border Security Results Act,” HR 1417, which passed out of the House Homeland Security Committee. In addition, Republican members are reportedly working on a lesser-skilled, nonagricultural guestworker program; a legalization program for Dreamers; and legislation addressing the 11 million.
Although timing remains uncertain due to a crowded calendar on issues such as the budget, the House Republican leadership and other key Republican House members continue to say that they may address immigration legislation on the floor this fall. Passing comprehensive immigration reform remains an urgent matter. Since the Senate passed S.744, the U.S. government has deported an average 1,120 people per day. In order to help reform move forward, it is important continue to weigh in with your Members of Congress about the importance of immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the 11 million, including farmworkers and their families and about the need to include the hard-fought agricultural stakeholder agreement. We believe that with all of our continued efforts, the passage of immigration reform remains a strong possibility.
Farmworker Justice has endorsed the National Day of Dignity and Respect, which will take place on October 5th and 8th. On the 5th, communities will hold rallies across the Nation calling for commonsense immigration reform with a path to citizenship for the 11 million. The groups will also call for a comprehensive solution that promotes family unity, protects worker rights, and ends family separation through deportations, without massive wasteful spending on unneeded border militarization. As part of National Day of Dignity and Respect events, the United Farm Workers is launching the “Harvesting the American Dream” Campaign where hundreds of UFW staff members and volunteers will be visiting 100 of the largest farms in California to energize and inspire farm workers and send a clear message to Congress: “We want immigration reform today, not tomorrow.” On October 8th, there will be a national rally and concert by Los Tigres del Norte in Washington, DC.
For more information on these events, visit www.octoberimmigration.org.
In Other News
On Wednesday, 20 ex-Bracero workers from Mexico and California ended a 22-day cross country protest at the White House. They made the trip to demand wages that were never paid to them. The Bracero Program, a product of agreements between the U.S. and Mexico, was a notoriously abusive agricultural guestworker program that ran from 1942 – 1964. For part of the program, U.S. employers withheld 10% of workers’ wages and placed them in Mexican banks where the workers were supposed to be able to retrieve them upon their return to Mexico. However, many Bracero workers never received those wages. By the mid-60s, many in Congress and the Administration came to recognize the program’s shortcomings and abuses and chose to end it. Today, Rep. Goodlatte’s Agricultural Guestworker Act has fewer protections than the Bracero Program. It would also have employers deduct 10% of agricultural guestworkers’ wages from their paychecks, only this time the U.S. government would hold the money in a trust account. Workers would have to apply to the consulate in their home country upon return to get their hard-earned wages.
REMINDER: Farmworker Justice’s Wine & Jazz Reception fundraiser is this Wednesday, October 2, 2013. Information and tickets are available here.