Source:  POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 5/3/21

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh virtually joined the “We Are Home” campaign, advocates and immigrant workers on Friday to urge Congress to act on creating a pathway to citizenship for workers in the United States. Walsh also urged for changes of the H-2A guest worker program.

“President Biden has made it very clear. On his first day in office he sent Congress a comprehensive immigration bill,” Walsh said.

“He supports the Farm Worker Modernization Act to reform the guest worker program. We need to improve the H-2A program to increase protections to farm workers and prevent abuses.”

Time for comprehensive overhaul: Walsh said he would push for an immigration bill pass in the Senate. He said he wanted to ensure workers were protected regardless of status, along with establishing a pathway to citizenship, as well as improvements for guest worker programs.

During a roundtable discussion, various immigrant workers spoke to Walsh about their hopes for a pathway to citizenship and improved working conditions during the pandemic.

Rigoberto Arteaga, a dairy worker from Vale, Ore., was one of many “essential” workers on the call. He told Walsh about the lack of protections during the pandemic.

“Secretary Walsh, I ask that you use your position to help agricultural workers and those in the dairy industry have an immigration process,” Arteaga said. “I have waited for 30 years for help or assistance to be here legally.”

Reality check: Biden’s U.S. Citizenship Act has been introduced in the House and Senate but lawmakers have not moved the bill. Meanwhile, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act is still undergoing negotiations in the Senate after passing the House in March but Republicans are firm that they do not support the House version of the bill and are working to make changes.