Zoe Lofgren: “I also include in the Record a list of those who care about immigrants who are also asking us to pass this bill…”

“I also include in the Record a list of those who care about immigrants who are also asking us to pass this bill: Farmworker Justice, Justice for Migrant Women, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Forest Worker Center, the Service Employees International Union. November 19, 2019. Dear Member of Congress: We write to urge you to support the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019, HR 5038. The bill is a bipartisan compromise representing the culmination of hard fought negotiations to address the needs of farmworkers and our agriculture system in the context of our broken immigration system. Importantly, this bill recognizes the valuable role of farmworkers in our food system by providing an earned path to legal immigration status and citizenship to farmworkers and their families. If enacted, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act would provide an opportunity for experienced agricultural workers to apply for legal status if they show employment in U.S. agriculture and meet other criteria. At least half of the nation's roughly 2.4 million farmworkers are undocumented immigrants and immigration relief is urgently needed to address the constant fear of deportation many farmworkers and their children experience. The ability to obtain immigration status and a path to citizenship is key to enabling farmworkers to bargain for better working and living conditions and to challenge serious labor abuses.…”