Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez, sponsor of a bill to give legal status to undocumented farmworkers and their families, says he will retire after 13 terms in the House. The announcement is a political bookend to the Nov. 9 statement by House Judiciary chairman Bob Goodlatte, sponsor of a year-round H-2C agricultural visa program, that he, too, will retire at the end of 2018.
Together, the retirements suggest that there is limited momentum for agricultural immigration reform. Gutierrez, who said he will remain active on immigration issues, endorsed Cook County commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia as his successor, said WTTW-TV in Chicago. The station also said Gutierrez dropped hints that he might run for president.
“Nonetheless, the timing of the decision is a surprise, given Gutierrez’s passion for immigration reform and his battle against the Trump administration, which perhaps poses the greatest threat to that cause since he’s been in Congress,” said WTTW. “Gutierrez has fought passionately for immigration reform throughout his tenure, frequently getting arrested during immigration demonstrations.”
In May, Gutierrez led 30 House Democrats in filing legislation that would allow undocumented farmworkers to apply for “blue card” status if they show consistent employment in U.S. agriculture for two years, pay a fine, and pass a background check. A three- to five-year path to citizenship would be available to those who continue to work in agriculture. A similar bill is pending in the Senate.
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee rejected the “blue card” program, on a party-line vote, a month ago during debate over Goodlatte’s more draconian H-2C bill. The Goodlatte bill, approved 17-16, would replace the current H-2A seasonal visa with an agricultural guestworker program that is open for the first time to the meatpacking, dairy, and timber industries. The H-2C visa relieves employers of the responsibility to pay for housing and transportation of foreign workers and allows wages as low as $8.34 an hour. Workers would gain the freedom to switch jobs. The visas would be good for 18 months, twice as long as the H-2A average, and up to three years for workers with specialized jobs.