On the recordDecember 11, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5038, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019. I am very proud to support Congresswoman Lofgren, members of the Hispanic Caucus, and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who helped make this bill possible today. There are, in the United States, four or five major industries that would not exist the way they do but for immigrant labor, documented, and undocumented. One of those industries is the agriculture industry. This bill would recognize the important work that undocumented workers do in our agriculture industry. It would recognize that their work deserves respect; that it is dignified; that it has a place in our country; and that they have a place in our country. It would do so by allowing for a path to legal status for these workers. For 2 million folks, it would mean that they would no longer face the threat of deportation; that they and their families could rest assured that in the middle of the night they would not be taken away from their children. This legislation is important to our country, and I hope that all of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, will support it today.
