The House of Representatives passed a farm bill Wednesday that critics claim offers a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act passed 260-165.
Democratic and some Republican lawmakers supported the bill, which overhauls the H-2A agricultural visa program, Fox News reported.
However, the bone of contention in the bill was its provision for illegal immigrants to be granted temporary five-and-a-half-year “Certified Agricultural Worker” status after working at least six months in the agriculture sector over two years.
The bill allows illegal immigrant workers who achieve this status to also protect their spouses and minor children from deportation.
Those who hold “Certified Agricultural Worker” status can file for legal permanent residence, which can lead to citizenship, by coughing up a $1,000 fine.
Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa told The Hill the proposal was “amnesty. It’s just that simple.”
Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said he hopes he can broker a deal with House sponsors and Senate leaders to have a revised bill considered in the Senate that will address the shortcomings of the legislation which passed in the House.
“While the 224 pages of H.R. 5038 make many more changes to the H-2A program — some good and some bad — one need look no further than the first few pages to figure out the real point of this bill: a path to citizenship for an unknown number of illegal immigrants who do some work in agriculture, along with their families,” he said when the Judiciary Committee met to consider the bill last month.Read the rest of the story HERE.
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