Agriculture could benefit most if immigrants in U.S. illegally are allowed to remain

Congress is debating whether the 11 million immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally can or should be allowed to become citizens or at least be granted the right to stay. A reform bill expected to come from the Senate would aim to "overhaul the nation’s agriculture worker program to create a steady supply of labor for farmers and growers, who rely more than any other industry on workers who have come to the country illegally," Erica Werner reports for The Associated Press. (AP photo by David Goldman)

"At least 50 percent and as much as 70 or 80 percent of the nation's farm workers arrived illegally," Werner reports. "Growers say they need a better way to hire labor legally, and advocates say workers can be exploited and need better protections and a way to earn permanent residence." Giev Kashkooli, United Farm Workers vice president, told Werner: "One thing that we know is that there's not an industry that will benefit more from a new immigration program than agriculture. The problem is industry needs people who are both willing and able to do the work. And it's difficult work."

Congress is looking at several approaches to illegal immigration, Ashley Parker reports for The New York Times. One is that "young immigrants in the country without legal papers, who often call themselves 'Dreamers,' and low-skilled agricultural workers, would qualify for an expedited road to legal status, people familiar with the negotiations said." Other plans would allow for illegal immigrants to keep permanent residence if they have family or employment that qualifies them for legal status, or if they admit to breaking the law, pay fines and back taxes and learn English.

Agri-Pulse, a Washington newsletter, reports that the Agriculture Workforce Coalition, which has been working with several senators, has introduced a plan that includes an "uncapped Agricultural Worker Visa Program." As part of the plan "employees would have the freedom to move from employer to employer without any contractual commitment. They would have a visa term of up to 11 months with U.S. Department of Agriculture registered employers and then return home for 30 days. There would be no limit on the number of times a person could obtain the 11-month visa. Contract employees would commit to work for an employer for a fixed period of time and would have a visa term of up to 12 months (renewable indefinitely), and conditioned upon a commitment to return to their home country for at least 30 days over a 3-year period." Agri-Pulse is subscription-only, but offers a free trial here.