Honesty on immigration

Few immigration reform initiatives have gathered as much support from so many traditionally adversarial organizations as the AgJOBS bill that the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on today.

The Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act, which would allow foreign farmworkers a legal mechanism for employment, has the backing of labor unions, growers, farmworker advocates and consumer groups. Fifty Florida groups support it, including the Florida Catholic Conference, the AFL-CIO, the Migrant Farmworker Justice Project and the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. More than 60 senators have signed on, at least 20 of them Republicans who have broken ranks with party leadership in a rare show of unity with Democrats on an immigration issue. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., ideological counterbalances, are two vocal proponents. Both Florida senators, Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Mel Martinez, have pledged support.

The broad appeal of AgJOBS stems from its honest recognition that immigrant labor is essential to agriculture and that the nation needs to bring illegal workers into a fair system that rewards those who obey the rules with a real chance at permanent legal status over time. The bill would offer not amnesty but an incremental path to legitimacy, replacing hypocrisy and denial with reasonable, specific standards under which immigrants can come, fill jobs, then return home without fear of government reprisals. Growers would benefit from a reliable labor supply without worries about penalties for hiring illegals.

Sen. Craig, who has been stymied for two years despite his many allies, pressed for a vote on AgJOBS as an amendment to an $80 billion spending bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Opponents argue that the plan should go through hearings and debate, but that risks years more of political intransigence on a contentious issue that demands attention. Even President Bush has supported in principle developing guest worker programs, especially to help control the U.S.-Mexico border, where most illegal migrants enter.

AgJOBS is a reasonable way to begin repairing the nation's dysfunctional immigration policy. The Senate can start the work today.