In addition to establishing a guest worker program, the reform framework proposed by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators would create a path to citizenship for about $11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Community to Community Development Executive Director and rights advocate Rosalinda Guillen says that while the plan is a step in the right direction, it is too broad and brings up concerns over issues like potential border security tactics, which have failed in the past.
The proposal shows that undocumented agricultural laborers would be treated differently and put on a separate path to citizenship because their work is integral to the cultivation of food sources within the U.S.
The plan also calls for strict employment monitoring that would strongly penalize employers for knowingly hiring unauthorized workers.
