Update from Farmworker Justice Fund -- Farmworker Immigration Policy -- January 28, 2004
Dear Friends,
First, we have a lot of signers for the pro-AgJOBS letter to members of Congress, but we'd like even more
to demonstrate how much widespread support there is. So we'll extend the deadline to Thursday afternoon,
January 29.
Second, today, Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on
Agricultural Guestworker Programs. The chair of the committee, Robert Goodlatte (R.-Va.) opposes efforts
to legalize immigrants and apparently is so antagonistic that he doesn't even like guestworker programs because it
just represents more foreigners in the country. He has introduced a
bill,
HR 3604, that would change the H-2A program by making if far less protective of workers, including
by slashing wage rates and eliminating government oversight. His bill, unlike AgJOBS (HR 3142/S1645),
does not offer H-2A workers any new protections. More importantly, his bill does not contain a legalization,
or earned amnesty, for undocumented workers and guestworkers.
The principal committee of jurisdiction for immigration bills like HR 3604 and AgJOBS is the Judiciary Committee,
not the Ag. Committee.
The hearing's witnesses were not representative of the overall debate. The discussion often did not address
the real issues. At times it had nothing to do with agricultural workers. Stuart Anderson, who has written about
the Bracero Program somewhat favorably testified but did mildly say that legalization should be considered.
A guy from Numbers USA testified that they don't want more foreign workers.
For the second panel, Mr. Goodlatte found several growers who oppose AgJOBS to testify that they want
the H-2A program to be much worse than it already is and apparently mistakenly believe that Mr. Goodlatte
is offering something more than a mere illusion. The Farm Bureau representative testified meekly; the Farm Bureau
supports the AgJOBS bill but apparently is so concerned that Chairman Goodlatte can punish them for it on other
agricultural issues, that they were unwilling to take a strong public stand at this hearing.
Mr. Goodlatte allowed the hearing to drag on for so long, that no one but him and stalwart Rep. Joe Baca (D.-Calif.),
a steadfast friend of farmworkers, were present for the final panel, whose sole witness was Maria Echaveste,
who spoke on behalf of the United Farm Workers. Maria, of Nueva Vista Strategies in D.C., is the child of a
Bracero farmworker, as well as former Wage and Hour Administrator and former Deputy Chief of Staff to
President Clinton.
Maria provided effective testimony about the value of AgJOBS substantively and as the product of difficult
negotiations and compormises, the shortcomings of the Goodlatte bill, and the inadequacies of the
President's proposal on immigration.
The testimony should be available online shortly under the Agriculture Committee's website.
Sen. Chambliss (R.-Ga.), chair of the Senate immigration subcommittee, will hold a hearing on
agricultural guestworker issues on February 5. We'll let you know what he has in mind.
Bruce Goldstein
Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc.
1010 Vermont Ave., NW, Ste. 915
Washington, D.C. 20005
202-783-2628 fax: 783-2561