Page 34 - Farm and Food Policy Strategies for 2040 Series

The Policy Conundrum

One of the best ways to stem the worker shortage going forward would be to enact meaningful
immigration reform ensuring a steady supply of farmworkers. AWC’s position—framed as the

unified voice of agriculture—is two-pronged.

First, the coalition wants reform of the burdensome H-2A visa program, which allows seasonal
foreign-born workers into the United States temporarily. Second, the group believes a legislative
solution is needed that provides stability in the ag labor force by providing legal status for the
unauthorized, but experienced, agricultural workforce currently in the United States, ensuring
future demand for ag workers is met.

Last year, two immigration reform bills were introduced by Republicans in the House of
Representatives, but both failed to pass the full chamber. The one that came closest to meeting
the needs of agriculture was introduced by then Chair of the Judiciary Committee Rep. Bob
Goodlatte, R.-Va. He believes meaningful immigration reform needs to address both of the areas
on AWC’s wish list as well as improved enforcement, both at the border and in the interior of the
country.

Former Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. “The H-2A program needs to be

replaced by something that works

better for American agriculture, and

frankly for the workers as well, or at

the very least the program needs a
major overhaul,” Goodlatte said in a
recent interview with Agri-Pulse. “The

other issue is: What do you do with

people who are not lawfully present in

the United States? The bill that I

worked on with so many other members

of congress, mainly Republicans, in

regard to the border issue, addressed all

three of those issues, but by no means
was it comprehensive. I’m not even
sure I would call it very broad.”

While some in agriculture were in favor of moving the Goodlatte bill forward, the California
Farm Bureau successfully objected to provisions that would have capped agricultural work visas,
mandated companies confirm the legal status of their foreign-born employees using the
government’s online E-Verify system, and required existing workers illegally in the United
States to return to their country of origin before they could reenter the United States on
agricultural work visas.

Others were opposed to mandating the use of E-Verify. “The position we take on E-Verify is that
we know our farms and ranches today have a tremendous labor problem. And we know that a lot
of the workers on those farms and ranches have a documentation problem,” notes Connor. “We
don’t need a system to tell us that. We need a system that provides those workers with a path to
legal status.”

32 www.Agri-Pulse.com