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Special Immigration Deal For Farm Workers Possible

Will Farm Workers Get Treated Differently On immigration?
By 

Editor, Latino Voices

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2006 file photo, a worker dumps just-picked merlot grapes into a bin as Vicente Reyna, center, and Benjamin Torres supervise the loading of the grapes at the Andrews Horse Heaven ranch, near Paterson, Wash. Now that Washington voters have legalized marijuana, will an area recognized as one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, celebrated for Washington apples, hops and wine grapes, become known as the vice belt? Not necessarily. (AP Photo/Yakima Herald-Republic, Gordon King, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2006 file photo, a worker dumps just-picked merlot grapes into a bin as Vicente Reyna, center, and Benjamin Torres supervise the loading of the grapes at the Andrews Horse Heaven ranch, near Paterson, Wash. Now that Washington voters have legalized marijuana, will an area recognized as one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, celebrated for Washington apples, hops and wine grapes, become known as the vice belt? Not necessarily. (AP Photo/Yakima Herald-Republic, Gordon King, File)

The bipartisan group of senators working on an immigration reform bill haven't decided how to handle the broad swath of workers who come to the U.S. to perform manual labor. The Senate framework talks about creating "an improved process for admitting future workers" but doesn't commit to a guest worker program specifically.

The framework does, however, make it clear that the immigration bill will contain a special guest-worker program for agricultural and dairy workers (who are mostly immigrants, except when portrayed in Super Bowl commercials). In addition, undocumented farm workers who are here already would get an expedited path to citizenship.

So why do farmers get a special deal, when immigrant workers also fill manual labor jobs in industries like construction, healthcare and hospitality?

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