Senate Democrats have reintroduced legislation that could further exacerbate the immigration crisis at the southern border by granting illegal immigrants working in the agricultural sector a pathway to legal status. First introduced in 2022, the Affordable and Secure Food Act — backed by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) — would provide a 10-year process for illegals working in agriculture to become legal immigrants with work visas. The legislation would also expand H-2A visas to include non-seasonal employment.
The legislation’s Democrat proponents point to the ongoing surge in food prices as the impetus for the changes. They contend that flooding the American agricultural sector with cheap, immigrant labor will alleviate grocery costs and stymie ongoing farm closures. However, some experts have argued that mass illegal immigration actually threatens the food supply.
The National Pulse previously reported that the expansive reliance on immigrant labor has suppressed American wages and artificially boosted the labor market. Labor force participation among native-born Americans has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
One significant provision of the act is the establishment of a Certified Agricultural Worker status. This would grant illegal immigrant workers legal rights to employment in America and authorize them to travel internationally with a guarantee of re-entry. Immediate family members would also be given legal status, further incentivizing illegal immigration and the abuse of chain migration.
Sens. Bennet and Gillibrand aren’t the only Democrats pushing for granting potentially millions of illegal immigrants legal status. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is urging the Biden government to authorize work permits for over half a million illegal immigrants currently residing in Illinois — arguing the move would help alleviate the strain they’ve placed on public assistance programs.
