Threat of ag immigration bill resurfaces, and must be opposed anew

Since our Valley Voice was published (Saturday, July 21), the trust we had that Congress would move beyond House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s flawed agriculture immigration proposal has been shaken.

Despite assurances that the bill by Goodlatte (R-Virginia) would not receive another vote in July, and that we would work from a new base text developed in conjunction with the California agriculture industry, Goodlatte yet again introduced his legislative proposal that would enact E-Verify without providing adequate protections for existing farm workers or properly ensuring a sufficient flow of future guest workers.

This time, the bill – now named the AG and Legal Workforce Act – has a few more co-sponsors, including several from across the aisle. However, this guise of bipartisanship is merely a ruse, as Goodlatte’s immigration reform principles still fail to provide a workforce solution that meets the needs of all farmers in all regions of the United States.

This is where we must again lean on our Central Valley representatives, as well as the entire California delegation, and ask them to strengthen their resolve against those who would support a bill that would have an immediate and catastrophic impact on California farmers, rural communities and the broader state economy.

The AG and Legal Workforce Act – of which an earlier version has already been soundly defeated in the House – must not be allowed back on the House floor; not before the August recess, not as part of a “must-pass bill” after the break, and certainly not in the lame duck session after the election.

This story was originally published July 23, 2018 at 11:59 AM.