Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, and Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, are floating a plan to recruit seasonal legal workers in Mexico to help Colorado farmers who are struggling to find help to bring in crops. The legislators initially called it a “guest worker” program, but only the federal government can grant visas to foreign workers. The proposal is intended only to help expedite existing visa programs, not create a new one, as some critics have said.

The plan is preliminary, and talks just have gotten under way about introducing legislation in January.

Senate Republicans called the proposal an attempt by Democrats to backslide from recent legislative efforts to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.

“Unless the state is prepared to spend tens of millions of dollars to keep tabs on guest workers to make sure they don’t overstay their visas, then this is a bad idea,” said Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita.

In truth, the proposal came from a Republican.

Looper, a GOP House freshman, approached Tapia about co-sponsoring a bill.

Looper could not be reached for comment Friday, but said earlier she urged her GOP colleagues to put aside partisan politics and do what’s best for Colorado’s agricultural market.

Looper has been pressured this week by fellow Republicans to back away from the proposal.

Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, credited Looper for thinking outside the box, but argues that state-sponsored recruitment of migrant workers only would foster illegal immigration and further weaken attempts to secure the nation’s southern border.

“This goes a step too far,” he said. “Sometimes you got to beat people back into the box. She has some high hurdles to get through before she gets to the border.”

Tapia defended the measure Friday as a creative and sound idea. He said neither he nor Looper is trying to lure undocumented workers or create a pathway to citizenship.

Tapia and Looper have said that the state’s crackdown on illegal immigration has caused migrant workers to bypass Colorado, leaving farmers short-handed.

“We only want to expedite the current system,” Tapia said.

Looper and Tapia are hoping an office in Mexico can help Colorado farmers draw migrant workers through an existing federal visa program called “H-2A.”

That program has no cap on visa numbers, as some other visas do. However, employers must first find the specific foreign employees they want to hire, then have them approved by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The state of Colorado and employers also would have to provide housing and transportation for migrant workers.

washingtonam@RockyMoun tainNews.com or 303-954-5086
So what will be the solution? we know employer wont pay more, (illegal immigrant is the solution what you think?) or are you willing to pay more for your products?

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Are illegals Immigrant take jobs from US citizen or US citizen are to lazy to work?

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How do you follow up regarding an application for a job?

Let them know that any senator that votes pro illegal will not be employed next election.
Petey

That would block ALL of their mail. There are ways around that. Also these people can not filter the overwhelmingly amount of disgust from the American public every time they try to slip Amnesty through. We have the internet now. We are watching their every move. They can’t get away with doing things secretly anymore. We are watching.
Aha

Trust me we are faxing, mailing and spreading that fact daily. Not just email, it is just another tool to fight those that have destroyed what America was.
becksbear,
Contact me sir.
Thanks.
Chuck_junior :Your right I rather die than listen to that woman/man/thing sing EVER again. It was a disgrace that they let her do that?????
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Did you know you can mass email your senators in all states all at once?

http://www.outsourcecongress.org/outsource/congress/schstaffers.

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