UFW: Comprehensive reform bill offers farm workers ‘swift’ legalization & new protections while stabilizing workforce
United Farm Workers President Arturo S. Rodriguez issued the following statement from Washington, D.C. following introduction of the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform measure.
The comprehensive immigration reform proposal — including its agricultural provisions negotiated by the United Farm Workers and major grower associations — fulfills the urgent need for an earned legalization program that enables undocumented farm workers who are the backbone of the nation’s agricultural industry to swiftly obtain legal immigration status. It will also stabilize the farm labor workforce through incentives for immigrants to continue working in U.S. agriculture.
We believe the comprehensive bill and its compromise farm worker provisions will help improve working conditions and job opportunities for farm workers. We will work with President Obama, our allies in Congress and the immigrant rights community to enact a law this year. The compromise agricultural provisions should boost support for reform.
The comprehensive measure would allow many undocumented farm workers to earn legal status by continuing to work in agriculture as well as offer the same protections to their immediate family members. It would also replace the existing H-2A agricultural guest worker program with a fresh visa program with important new protections for farm workers.
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