Legalizing Undocumented Farmworkers

Although friends of immigrants and activists want comprehensive reform in the U.S., this goal seems, in 2022, like a distant mirage. Many immigrants who have made multi-year commitments to this country and to their families here can, however, benefit from more modest developments. Furthermore, they are achievable, particularly when they address a need that new Americans can fill. The labor shortage in agriculture, for instance, has given federal lawmakers a justification for awarding legal status to experienced but undocumented farmworkers and making them eligible for guest-worker programs. Federal policy can do that if enough pressure is brought to bear on Congress to act on pending legislation, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. This law is only a start, of course, but passing it would affect many who toil in fields and barns to put food on our tables. And with more products from the farms, inflation that raises grocery store prices might be reduced. I have written a commentary on this bill—its importance, its chances of passage and who is pressing for its enactment.