UPDATED: Tuesday, June 18, at 12 PM in Bakersfield & Vista, CA
Farm workers and immigration reform advocates urge GOP Whip McCarthy and Rep. Issa to oppose Rep. Goodlatte’s Bracero program bill
Bakersfield, CA – Dozens of farm workers and immigration reform advocates will demonstrate in front of two U.S. congressional district offices at 12pm, Tuesday, June 18: 1) Kevin McCarthy’s office at 4100 Empire Drive, Suite 150 in Bakersfield, and 2) Darrell Issa’s office at 1800 Thibodo Road in Vista, CA. The effort, led by the United Farm Workers in partnership with Kern Coalition for Citizenship and Organizing for Action, seeks to persuade McCarthy and Issa to oppose the Agricultural Guestworker Act (H.R. 1773), which was filed by Rep. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va) on April 26. The House Judiciary Committee will hold the markup of H.R. 1773 on Wednesday, June 19.
“Goodlatte’s bill does not include a new immigration process allowing farm workers who feed our nation to legalize their status and earn permanent legal residence over time. In poll after poll, Americans voters, especially Latinos, have overwhelmingly expressed support for a roadmap to citizenship for new American like farm workers, who contribute to our country,” said UFW spokeswoman Maria Machuca.
The Goodlatte’s proposal would create a new agricultural temporary worker program that would result in massive job losses for U.S. workers by transforming the farm labor force into a system of temporary workers with no meaningful protections or rights. The bill would also eliminate many long-standing worker protections and slash wages for foreign and domestic workers.
Instead of Goodlatte’s one-sided bill, the UFW is urging lawmakers to support bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation like the S. 744 in the Senate.
Bakersfield, CA
Who: Kern Coalition for Citizenship – farm workers, students, and families.
When: 12:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Where: Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s Congressional Office, 4100 Empire Drive, Suite 150, 93309
Vista, CA
Who: Organizing for Action, United Farm Workers, and Border Angels
When: 12:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Where: Rep. Darrell Issa’s Congressional Office, 1800 Thibodo Road (parking lot), 92801
###