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Senate OKs farm worker aid
By Joe Hanel | Journal Denver Bureau
DENVER - Senators voted for a program to help foreign farm workers
Thursday, even though the idea continues to draw fire from both
advocates and opponents of immigrants.
Farmers say they can’t find workers at any wage, especially after recent
immigration crackdowns scared many workers away from Colorado. At the
same time, the H-2A visa program for legal workers suffers from delays
in the federal bureaucracy, and workers often show up weeks late.
“No part of the state seems to be immune from the labor shortage,” said
Agriculture Commissioner John Stulp, who testified for House Bill 1325.
The Senate Agriculture Committee approved it 5-0.
The bill sets up a pilot program to recruit Latin American workers and
help farmers navigate the difficult federal H-2A visa process.
Sponsors want to recruit 1,000 workers the first year and 5,000 in five
years. Workers have to return to their home countries when their visas
expire.
Colorado needs up to 10,000 seasonal farm workers, said the sponsor,
Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo.
The bill made news earlier this week when Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado
Springs, denounced it for inviting 5,000 “illiterate peasants” to
Colorado.
Most opposition Thursday, though, came from immigrant rights groups,
including Jobs With Justice, led by Scott Kwasny.
“Our concern is the lack of enforceable worker protections in the bill,”
Kwasny said.
Sen. Greg Brophy, a farmer, took exception to that.
“I won’t say that (abuse) doesn’t happen, but the vast majority of
people I know treat people fairly,” said Brophy, R-Wray. “This bill goes
a long way. It offers a lot more protections than I ever had when I was
working my way through college.
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