‘Blue card’ bill could legalize ag workforce in Santa Cruz County

WATSONVILLE >> Agricultural workers and their families could become eligible to apply for a "blue card" that would give them a one-time opportunity to acquire legal citizenship status and work authorization if they show consistent employment in U.S. agriculture over the past two years, pay a fine and pass a thorough background check.

The Agricultural Worker Program Act would also provide a 3- to 5-year path to citizenship for those who continue to work in agriculture for a requisite amount of time.

Five Senate Democrats, including Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy, came out with the original bill May 5.

"Despite their significant contributions to California's economy, farmworkers are now a priority for deportation," Feinstein said in the statement. "We simply must protect the families who help put food on our tables."

On May 25, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Illinois, and 26 House Democratic colleagues, including Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-California, introduced the House companion to Feinstein's bill.

"Every day, the food we eat, the dairy products, the wine, the berries and veggies — it all passes through the hands of undocumented immigrants," said Gutiérrez. "Every American is complicit in the reality that we depend on agriculture, and agriculture depends on immigrants, but we have not allowed those workers to come here legally nor allowed them to work legally once they have been here."

Gutiérrez is a member of the Judiciary Committee and chair of the Immigration Taskforce of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Although the bill is supported by numerous pro-immigration groups, its lack of bipartisan co-sponsorship remains a major obstacle to its passage into law.

Skopos Labs, which has built an artificial intelligence platform designed to predict policy-making event, gives the bill a 1 percent chance of becoming law.

However, the agriculture industry's labor shortage has long warranted a legislative solution, according to farm groups.

"We are all facing a labor shortage; we've been facing it for years," said Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau President Tom Broz. "We have a largely undocumented labor force and legislation like this is long overdue."

One in 10 agriculture workers in California are born outside of the U.S., and more than half are not in the country legally, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

California produces more than 350 commodities; including one-third of the nation's vegetables and nearly two-thirds of the nation's fruits and nuts. California also produces 90 percent of the strawberries grown in the U.S.

"If Congress continues to ignore our nation's severe labor shortage, our agriculture industry will suffer, perishable produce will be left to rot in our fields, and families will see an increase in their grocery bills," said Panetta. "The people who help feed our families deserve this opportunity to step out of the shadows and fully participate in their communities. This bill is a critical step forward for both our farmers and farm workers."

To track the progress of the Agricultural Worker Program Act, visit govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s1034.