Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national constituency-based Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S., praised the reintroduction today of the “Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act” (AgJOBS,) which was introduced today by Senators Larry Craig (R-ID) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Chris Cannon (R-UT).

Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO stated, “This is an important piece of legislation that can have immediate positive effects on the Latino community. It is also an important step toward reforming our nation’s broken immigration system.”

There are an estimated 1.7 million farmworkers in the U.S., and more than 70% of them are Latino. “The entire Latino community remains firmly committed to the plight of farmworkers and is appalled by the conditions in which the people who put food on our tables every day live and work,” continued Murguia. “For these reasons, ‘AgJOBS’ is an enormously important priority that marks an historical moment for U.S. farmworkers. The bill is the result of years of intense negotiations between growers and farmworkers and would be the first major improvement in the status of farmworkers in nearly 20 years.”

Last year “AgJOBS” enjoyed broad bipartisan support in both Houses of Congress. It is a delicate compromise between farmworker organizations, labor unions, agricultural employers, immigrant groups, and others and is endorsed by major agribusiness groups, farm labor organizations, Hispanic civil rights organizations, and many others. The bill would give many agricultural workers who lack authorized immigration status the chance to become legal immigrants, ensuring a stable labor supply for agricultural employers.

“This is a critical opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of thousands of Latinos and immigrants. NCLR looks forward to working with the leadership of both parties to ensure that ‘AgJOBS’ and other important immigration legislation are a priority this year,” concluded Murguia.

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