U.S. Senate Passes Sweeping Immigration Bill that includes New Visa Category for Farmworkers
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
United States Senate passed historical immigration legislation Thursday, with bipartisan support of 68-32. Fourteen Republicans supported the bill.
The bill would create a new visa category for farmworkers, giving agricultural workers unique opportunities if they plan to work in agriculture. The bill would also give leeway for the Secretary of Agriculture to be flexible with the flow of immigrant workers, allowing workers to come into the country on a “need” basis.
The current immigration legislation, only allows seasonal workers for agriculture, rather than full-time employees, which farmers say doesn’t provide enough skilled workers. The new bill would address current, undocumented workers to maintain their jobs – which was one of the concerns raised by dairy farmers, who face challenges finding enough workers to manage milking herds.
"Today's strong bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate to fix America's broken immigration system is good news for farmers and ranchers, good news for farm workers, and good news for rural America,” said Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary.
The bill’s future is uncertain as it will proceed to the Republican-controlled House, which a number of conservatives have come out to strongly oppose. The House version of the bill does not include the same provisions as the Senate.