House conservatives’ effort to enact a controversial immigration bill has met a quiet but fierce foe: California farmers. Their opposition to farm labor provisions in the legislation – and their sway with influential California Republicans – are a big part of the reason the House is unlikely to move forward with an immigration bill this year.
Last week, a California Farm Bureau Federation delegation flew to Washington, D.C. for a series of meetings with members of Congress and their staff to highlight their concerns about a House Republican proposal that would protect young undocumented immigrants known as “Dreamers” but also includes provisions they believe would gut California’s agricultural labor force. Read more