The path to the green card for a million illegal immigrants: the House of Representatives passed a controversial bill

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, December 11, passed a controversial agriculture bill that could open the door to legalization for more than a million illegal immigrants.

Фото: Depositphotos

The law on the modernization of labor on farms was supported by 260, and opposed by 165 both Democrats and Republicans, writes Fox News. The bill provides that undocumented workers can receive a temporary five-year status as a Certified Agricultural Worker if they have worked in the industry for about six months in the past two years.

This status can either be extended indefinitely, or employees (together with their spouses and children) can begin the path to a permanent legal status in the form of a green card. The latter option, according to the law, includes data verification and a fine of $ 1000.

To get a green card, those who have been engaged in agriculture for 10 or more years must work another four years, while those who have spent less than ten years in the industry will have to work another eight years. Once workers receive a green card, they are free to work outside of agriculture.

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The bill also simplifies the H-2A agricultural visa program, reducing processing time and costs. This will require the Department of Homeland Security to create a pilot program that will enable H-2A employees to change their activities in this sector if they find work within two months.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a member of the House of Representatives, said it was a “historical” compromise and an example of a bipartisan system.

“We must allow them to obtain an agricultural visa, which is temporary and renewable, so that they can carry out the work that we need. We need to stabilize the H-2A program, which this bill does. This simplifies and stabilizes wages, ”she said.

The bill was supported by many farming groups. But at the same time, he faced stiff opposition from immigration restrictionists. The latter claim that the bill is forcing immigrants to work in the form of slavery until they receive their green cards.

The Heritage Foundation called the bill “a prime example of amnesty,” warning that it “threatens the legitimacy of the legal immigration system, and encourages foreigners and farmers to ignore the legal immigration system in the future if it best meets their needs.”

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Republican support for the bill increases the likelihood that such a form may have a chance in the Republican-controlled Senate.

But while the bill has bipartisan support, it was criticized by other Republican lawmakers. Rep. Doug Collins cited liberal group estimates according to which there are up to 2,7 million agricultural workers in the country. More than half of them, according to experts, are in the country illegally, which means that more than one and a half million people can get the path to legal status.

He said that document standards in the bill would allow illegal immigrants with multiple charges and a history of social security fraud to obtain legal status.

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