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United Food Workers’ members and farm workers from across the United States will join UFW President Arturo S. Rodriguez on Sunday, March 21, to march for immigration reform.   In all, some and tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at the National Mall in Washington D.C. to motivate Congress and President Obama to enact a comprehensive immigration reform.

The march, organized by the “Reform Immigration FOR America” national campaign, which includes the United Farm Workers, is pushing for comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would allow approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants to legalize their residency status in this country.

“I’m going to Washington D.C., to represent all farm workers,” says Teresa Serrano, a UFW member from California. “I have been a farm worker for 40 years and even though I am a U.S. citizen, I know how hard it is to work in the fields and even more so if you don’t have your papers.”

Rodriguez, who will represent farm worker union members and will speak at the rally, says a comprehensive U.S. immigration reform is key to rebuilding the country.

“Americans depend for on the labor and skill of undocumented farm workers for their food. We need professional farm workers with the experience and skills to produce the fresh fruit and vegetables that feed Americans. Growing food in our own country allows us to control pesticide use and food safety, and ensure farm workers are treated with respect and dignity,” he said.

Last year, the UFW’s nationwide campaign “Con La Union de Campesinos Tendremos Papeles” (With the United Farm Workers We’ll Get Our Papers) attracted more than 20,000 people to the different events that took place in California. The current comprehensive immigration bill includes AgJOBS legislation, which would allow farm workers to earn the legal right to permanently stay in this country by continuing to work in agriculture. That’s the aim of the AgJOBS bill negotiated by UFW and the nation’s agricultural industry.

Source: UFW