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Farmworker Justice Update 10/6/17

Goodlatte Postpones his Agricultural Guestworker Act for Lack of Votes

We are pleased to report that Rep. Goodlatte postponed the meeting of the House Judiciary Committee that was scheduled for Wednesday to mark up his terribly anti-worker, anti-immigrant Agricultural Guestworker Act due to the apparent lack of votes to pass the bill out of Committee. We thank you for working with Farmworker Justice, the UFW, the AFL-CIO and the UFCW to highlight the anti-worker and anti-immigrant nature of the bill and the devastating impact it would have on our food system.  While numerous members of the Committee would have voted against the bill because it is so anti-worker and anti-immigrant, they do not make up a majority of the Committee.  In addition to this righteous opposition, the Bloomberg BNA reported that “Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee succumbed to pressure from a group that backs immigration restriction.”

Some anti-immigrant nativist groups have objected to expanded guestworker programs because they oppose additional foreign citizens coming to the country (especially those of particular races and ethnicities).  These groups expressed concern that Goodlatte’s bill would bring large numbers of foreign workers into agriculture-related jobs outside of the farms and ranches that traditionally have been the workplaces for guestworkers.  Some apparently were concerned that agricultural employers would not be required to provide housing.  Some nativists also reportedly characterized the bill as giving “amnesty to illegal aliens currently working in agriculture” by allowing them to receive the proposed H-2C guestworker visas.

We would prefer to achieve an overwhelming vote against the Goodlatte bill based on it being an exploitative guestworker program and unfairly depriving undocumented agricultural workers of the opportunity to become citizens, rather than seeing the presence and influence in Congress of people committed to xenophobia, racism and exploitation in workplaces.  However, for now, we are pleased that the Judiciary Committee, which Goodlatte chairs, has not moved forward on this bill. The impacts of the Goodlatte bill, if passed, would be devastating to farmworkers, their families, their communities, and the nation.

Again, thanks for all of your support as we strive for fairness in our food and immigration systems.  The fight is not over and we must continue to oppose anti-immigrant, anti-worker efforts such as Rep. Goodlate’s legislation and the other harmful H-2 bills, the H-2A year-round amendment on the appropriations bill, and efforts to strip fundamental H-2A protections through agency action.

We have several resources available on the Goodlatte bill, including our statement; the coalition letter that was sent to Congress; and our fact sheet. For an overview of immigration reform and agriculture please read this piece and for more information about a positive solution, please read about the Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017.

 

Goodlatte Postpones his Agricultural Guestworker Act for Lack of Votes

We are pleased to report that Rep. Goodlatte postponed the meeting of the House Judiciary Committee that was scheduled for Wednesday to mark up his terribly anti-worker, anti-immigrant Agricultural Guestworker Act due to the apparent lack of votes to pass the bill out of Committee. We thank you for working with Farmworker Justice, the UFW, the AFL-CIO and the UFCW to highlight the anti-worker and anti-immigrant nature of the bill and the devastating impact it would have on our food system.  While numerous members of the Committee would have voted against the bill because it is so anti-worker and anti-immigrant, they do not make up a majority of the Committee.  In addition to this righteous opposition, the Bloomberg BNA reported that “Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee succumbed to pressure from a group that backs immigration restriction.”

Some anti-immigrant nativist groups have objected to expanded guestworker programs because they oppose additional foreign citizens coming to the country (especially those of particular races and ethnicities).  These groups expressed concern that Goodlatte’s bill would bring large numbers of foreign workers into agriculture-related jobs outside of the farms and ranches that traditionally have been the workplaces for guestworkers.  Some apparently were concerned that agricultural employers would not be required to provide housing.  Some nativists also reportedly characterized the bill as giving “amnesty to illegal aliens currently working in agriculture” by allowing them to receive the proposed H-2C guestworker visas.

We would prefer to achieve an overwhelming vote against the Goodlatte bill based on it being an exploitative guestworker program and unfairly depriving undocumented agricultural workers of the opportunity to become citizens, rather than seeing the presence and influence in Congress of people committed to xenophobia, racism and exploitation in workplaces.  However, for now, we are pleased that the Judiciary Committee, which Goodlatte chairs, has not moved forward on this bill. The impacts of the Goodlatte bill, if passed, would be devastating to farmworkers, their families, their communities, and the nation.

Again, thanks for all of your support as we strive for fairness in our food and immigration systems.  The fight is not over and we must continue to oppose anti-immigrant, anti-worker efforts such as Rep. Goodlate’s legislation and the other harmful H-2 bills, the H-2A year-round amendment on the appropriations bill, and efforts to strip fundamental H-2A protections through agency action.

We have several resources available on the Goodlatte bill, including our statement; the coalition letter that was sent to Congress; and our fact sheet. For an overview of immigration reform and agriculture please read this piece and for more information about a positive solution, please read about the Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017.