AgJOBS
Farmworker Justice Urges Congress to Pass AgJOBS and the DREAM Act in the Lame Duck Session
2010 Updates
Update December 17, 2010
Tomorrow, Saturday, December 18, the Senate will vote on the DREAM Act. Because the vote is a cloture vote, a supermajority of 60 votes is needed to move forward. The DREAM Act is bipartisan legislation that would provide undocumented youth, brought here as children, with a pathway to US citizenship if they attend college or perform military service. The DREAM Act was already passed in the House of Representatives last week.
Farmworker Justice supports the DREAM Act and asks for your support as well. The DREAM Act could benefit many youth, including many farmworker children. A victory for the DREAM Act is also a victory for the immigration reform movement and a step toward passing AgJOBS and comprehensive immigration reform.
Please call your Senators NOW and urge them to support the DREAM Act.
You can use this number to call your Senators: 866-996-5161
More information about the DREAM Act is available here: http://americasvoiceonline.org/index.php/dream
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Update December 9, 2010
Farmworker Justice issued the following press statment on the House of Representatives action on DREAM and FJ continues to urge the Senate to pass DREAM.
Last night, the House of Representatives passed the “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act” in a historic 216-198 vote. Farmworker Justice joined the United Farm Workers and farmworkers from across the country to urge support of the DREAM Act. Passage of the DREAM Act in the House is one step towards enabling youth who were brought to the country as children to earn citizenship by pursuing higher education or joining the military. The DREAM Act could benefit many farmworker children.
“We commend the House of Representatives for passing the DREAM Act in recognition that our nation’s broken immigration system must be fixed. With the majority of farmworkers in undocumented status, farmworkers are desperately in need of immigration reform. Last night’s victory for the DREAM Act is also a victory for the immigration reform movement and a step toward passing AgJOBS and comprehensive immigration reform,” said Bruce Goldstein, President of Farmworker Justice. AgJOBS is a bipartisan compromise between labor and agricultural employers that would provide employers with a stable labor force by giving current farmworkers an opportunity to earn legal status and by making balanced changes to the H-2A program.
We look forward to working with other farmworkers supporters and immigration advocates to help pass the DREAM Act in the Senate and into law.
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Update December 8, 2010
Last night, House leadership announced that the DREAM Act will be voted on TODAY. The Senate also will likely move forward late today with a cloture vote on the DREAM Act. The cloture vote is necessary to end filibuster of the bill and requires a supermajority of 60 votes to move forward. Farmworker Justice supports the DREAM Act and asks for your support as well. Please call your members of Congress to ask them to support the DREAM Act.
More information about the DREAM Act is available here: http://americasvoiceonline.org/index.php/dream
You can use these numbers to call your Members of Congress:
Senate
866-996-5161
House
866-967-6018
We appreciate your support.
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Update December 2, 2010
We have learned that the House of Representatives is planning upcoming action on the DREAM Act. Farmworker Justice supports the DREAM Act, but wants to ensure that AgJOBS is included in any intermediate immigration measure moving forward. It is urgent that you contact your Representative in the House of Representatives to ask them to support AgJOBS and to ensure that AgJOBS is included in any immigration measure moving forward
Agriculture in our country is in a state of crisis. Without enactment of AgJOBS, farmworkers will continue to live and work in fear. Ensuring a stable farm labor force is critical to our nation’s economic stability, security, food safety, workforce protections, and values.
A solution to the immigration crisis in agriculture exists in the AgJOBS bill, S. 1038/HR 2414. We must pass AgJOBS now. AgJOBS is a bipartisan compromise between labor and agricultural employers that would provide employers with a stable labor force by giving current farmworkers an opportunity to earn legal status and by making balanced changes to the H-2A program.
AgJOBS continues to enjoy broad support. Recently, almost thirty members the House of Representatives sent a letter to House leadership urging that AgJOBS be included in any intermediate immigration measure moving forward. Editorials in many major newspapers have argued in favor of enactment of AgJOBS.
Information regarding the history of AgJOBs and detailed information about the bill are available here.
Please call your Representative and urge him/her to support AgJOBS this Congress======================================================================
Update 11/30/2010-
Please contact your Members of Congress this week to urge them to pass AgJOBS and the DREAM Act.
These final days of Congress are a critical time to urge Congress to take steps towards fixing our flawed immigration system by passing AgJOBS and the DREAM Act. While the intent to bring up the DREAM Act is clear, AgJOBS must also move forward.
Passage of AgJOBS and DREAM would serve as downpayments for comprehensive reform and would address two of the most vulnerable immigrant groups in our country – the farmworkers who harvest our food and the students who are brought here through no fault of their own.
Please join the efforts of advocates across the country who are taking action this week to support AgJOBS and the DREAM Act. In California, the United Farm Workers and DREAM Act students will hold a series of press conferences, events and legislative visits as part of the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign National Day of action to support AgJOBS and Dream Act.
Read Farmworker Justice's Letter to Leadership here
Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support AgJOBS this Congress. Please also ask your members to support the DREAM Act.
Talking Points for AgJOBS:
- Please support AgJOBS. Agriculture in our country is in a state of crisis. Without enactment of AgJOBS, farmworkers will continue to live and work in fear. Ensuring a stable farm labor force is critical to our nation’s economic stability, security, food safety, workforce protections, and values.
- A solution to the immigration crisis in agriculture exists in the AgJOBS bill, S. 1038/HR 2414. We must pass AgJOBS now.
- AgJOBS is a bipartisan compromise between labor and agricultural employers that would provide employers with a stable labor force by giving current farmworkers an opportunity to earn legal status and by making balanced changes to the H-2A program.
Contact information for your members of Congress can be found at the following links:
Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
House: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
More information about the DREAM Act can be found at http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/DREAM/index.htm.
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Update 11/29/2010 -With Senate and House leadership indicating they may bring up the DREAM Act during the lame duck session, key House members sent a letter to House leadership urging the inclusion of AgJOBS and indicating that they would support the measure if AgJOBS were included. Read the House letter to leadership here. Please make sure to telephone your member of Congress and tell them you support AgJOBS and DREAM Act. Information how to contact them is available in 11/22 update below.
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Update 11/22/2010 The next weeks present one final opportunity this year for Congress to take steps towards fixing our flawed immigration system. Congress must pass AgJOBS and the DREAM Act to address two of the most vulnerable immigrant groups in our country – the farmworkers who harvest our food and the students who are brought here through no fault of their own. While the intent to bring up the DREAM Act is clear, AgJOBS must also move forward.
Agriculture in our country is in a state of crisis. Without enactment of AgJOBS, farmworkers will continue to live and work in fear. Ensuring a stable farm labor force is critical to our nation’s economic stability, security, food safety, workforce protections, and values.
In the next Congress, immigration restrictionists will exercise control over key House committees and we will face an uphill battle to pass immigration reform measures such as AgJOBS. Legislators are once again seeking one-sided reform of the H-2A program, a battle farmworkers have fought repeatedly in the past. We have already seen the introduction of several piece-meal H-2A bills that would expand the H-2A program without addressing the current undocumented workforce or providing needed reforms to the H-2A program.
A solution to the immigration crisis in agriculture exists in the AgJOBS bill, S. 1038/HR 2414. We must pass AgJOBS now. AgJOBS is a bipartisan compromise between labor and agricultural employers that would provide employers with a stable labor force by giving current farmworkers an opportunity to earn legal status and by making balanced changes to the H-2A program.
Information regarding the history of AgJOBs and detailed information about the bill are available here.
We encourage you to telephone your members of Congress and urge them to support AgJOBS this Congress. Please also ask your members to support the DREAM Act.
Talking points:
- I urge you to support AgJOBS which provides a workable and sustainable fix to the agricultural labor problems.
- AgJOBS is a unique bipartisan compromise that would provide a legal, stable labor supply by offering undocumented farmworkers the chance to earn legal immigration status by meeting stringent past and future agricultural-work requirements and immigration-law obligations.
- AgJOBS also would revise the H-2A agricultural guestworker program in a balanced manner based on concessions made by all sides in this debate.
- Ensuring a stable farm labor force is critical to our nation’s economic stability, security, food safety, workforce protections, and values
Contact information for your members of Congress can be found at the following links:
Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
House: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
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