Critics: House farm worker amnesty bill is like indentured servitude

The following is an excerpt from Blaze Media’s Capitol Hill Brief email newsletter:

While Congress and the public are distracted by the impeachment drama, the House is set to vote today on H.R. 5038, a controversial immigration bill that would potentially grant amnesty to millions of illegal alien agricultural workers.

In short, the bill seeks to grant amnesty to illegal aliens who have been unlawfully employed in agriculture and then tie them to the agriculture industry for a number of years before they become eligible for green card status, in a scheme that the bill’s critics compare to the old practice of indentured servitude. Center for Immigration Studies executive director Mark Krikorian explains at National Review: “The reason for the indenture system is that farmers know from experience that once the illegal aliens or visa workers get green cards, almost all will flee the medieval labor system that prevails in much of fresh fruit and vegetable agriculture.”

While some Republicans support the bill, NumbersUSA vice president and director of government relations Rosemary Jenks told Breitbart News, “I’m hoping it will not be as high as 30, and I’m hoping we are pulling them off just as they realize how bad this bill is.”

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to note that Rosemary Jenks' position at NumbersUSA is vice president and director of government relations. CR regrets the error.

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