Dozens Gather To Discuss Immigration Reform

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Story Published: Sep 5, 2009 at 5:41 PM PST

By Holly Zuluaga

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HERMISTON—Immigration Reform was the focus of a visit by the president of "United Farm Workers" Saturday in Hermiston.

Agriculture is big business locally.

The United Farm Workers say they're trying to keep it stable.

“It's extremely important in the Hermiston area and Southern Washington, the Yakima Valley, because it largely depends on agriculture,” Arturo Rodriguez said.

Arturo Rodriguez has spent months working on immigration reform in Washington DC with President Obama.

He met with workers in Hermiston to send the message that good things are coming.

“Since we have such a large number of undocumented workers in agriculture, we need to ensure the viability of the agriculture industry and simultaneously ensure the workforce there has a legalized status with-in this country,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez is pushing the AgJOBS Act. It aims to give legal status to immigrant workers.

To get it, workers prove they've worked 150 days in agriculture in the last 2 years.

They have to keep working in agriculture for the next 3 to 5 years.

“It's very important; I have a lot of family that doesn't have legal status. They don't have the papers and need to work here,” Margarito Martinez said.

Margarito Martinez has legal status, but his family doesn't.

He says most work in fear that they'll be picked up.

“We want to make sure we have a viable workforce and that the growers can depend on the workers to be there every day and they don't have to worry about raids,” Rodriguez said.

Workers like Martinez are waiting for it to happen, but Rodriguez says President Obama has a lot on his plate, and immigration reform has taken a backseat.

Still, they're confident legislation will be introduced this year.

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