DENVER—A proposal to help farmers hire temporary workers from Mexico won approval from a House committee on Tuesday after agriculture groups warned they face a crisis if they cannot hire enough crews in time for the harvest.
Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, said the 31,000 farmers in Colorado cannot afford to pay $6,000 to $10,000 to recruit immigrant workers and help them wade through government bureaucracies. She said the state could hire labor firms that operate in Mexico to find workers and assist with procedural problems at U.S. consulates there.
Tony Gagliardi, Colorado director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, said agriculture is suffering because the federal government has refused to act.
“At least this sends the message that we have to do something or every citizen in this state is going to suffer,” he told lawmakers.
The House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee approved House Bill 1325 and sent it to the Appropriations Committee after twice putting off a vote on the controversial measure.
Farmers facing worker shortages and fearful of immigration crackdowns are asking the state to help them negotiate the cumbersome application process for a federal guest worker program.
Immigration lawyers said the main bottlenecks lie with the federal background checks and State Department approvals, something Colorado can’t change.
The measure was opposed by immigrant advocates who said the program is a form of indentured servitude that allows workers, whose visas are tied to their jobs, to be exploited.
Labor unions also oppose the measure, citing worker exploitation. They favor federal immigration reform rather than state-by-state solutions.
Looper said many small growers can’t afford to hire middlemen or immigration lawyers. Under her proposal, farmers would likely pay about $200 per application to cover the costs. She said the agencies would pick employees who would likely be able to pass background checks to help farmers and ranchers get their workers on time.
Looper said agencies work with growers on a large scale in other states but they’ve been hesitant to work in Colorado because of the tough immigration laws the state passed in 2006. She said if the state signed a contract with an agency on behalf of farmers, the agency would be less worried about accusations of violating the laws.
