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Vasquez Hosts Immigrant Workers from New Mexico Ahead of Introduction of Immigration and Border Bills

November 2, 2023

The Strengthening Our Workforce Act would create a legal pathway for critical workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, November 2, 2023, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) was joined by immigration workers from New Mexico in Washington, D.C. to announce the introduction of the Strengthening Our Workforce Act and his full package of immigration and border bills. Vasquez will introduce five immigration and border bills to address our broken immigration system by cracking down on cartels, funding border inspection technology, and addressing other complex challenges facing the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico.

 WATCH: Rep. Gabe Vasquez Press Conference

"These bills are inspired by the people, for the people. These bills are informed by immigration advocacy groups, local leaders, federal officials and economic developers. These bills are designed specifically to target criminal elements, provide immigrants with legal working status, address abuses at detention centers, and address the shortage in our agricultural workforce,” said Vasquez. 

Vasquez’s bill supports lawful permanent residency for critical workers. Specifically, the bill allows immigrants who work in an industry critical to the U.S. economy, such as law enforcement, healthcare, education, energy production, emergency response and other categories, to apply for a 2-year temporary provisional status that will allow them to remain and work in the U.S. legally, continuing to contribute to our nation’s workforce.

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Press conference with critical workers

 

“Undocumented immigrant workers play a crucial role in New Mexico’s economy, including in the oil and gas industry, and they should be credited for their outsized contributions to this country. For years, immigration reform has had fits and starts with politics getting in the way of sensible solutions. Congressman Vasquez’ Strengthening Our Workforce Act is a targeted and fair approach to providing better pathways for essential immigrant workers and employers,” said Marcela Díaz, Executive Director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a statewide immigrant’s rights organization.

"We are proud of the contributions that essential immigrant workers make to New Mexico's economy. I work every day to ensure that New Mexico’s elderly and those facing illness have dignified care,” said Maria de Jesus “Marichuy” Gallardo, a home healthcare aide and member of Igualdad y Derechos, an Albuquerque-based immigrants’ rights, and workers justice organization. “Congressman Vasquez’ Strengthening Our Workforce Act will both benefit employers and workers like me in key industries who deserve workplace protections, dignified working conditions, and security for our families that allow us to continue contributing to the country we call home.”

"With many uncertainties left on the table after the pandemic, our immigrant communities were affected disproportionately yet remained the strong backbone of our economy and country. We’re so proud and excited to support Congressman Vazquez on the Strengthening our Workforce Act,” said Ytzel Cano, Community organizer from NMCAFE.

The Strengthening Our Workforce Act is one of five bills that are a part of Vasquez’s package of immigration and border bills. The other four include the Stop Coyotes’ Oppression and Organized Trafficking and Ensuring Safety (COYOTES) Act, which goes after coyotes and cartels who continue to harm, human traffic, sexually assault, and kill migrant women and children. The Smart Border Protection Actensures public safety and economic opportunity in our border communities with smart technologies and improved port of entry infrastructure. The Humane Accountability Actaims to hold detention centers accountable to protect detainees who experience injuries, sexual assault or die in detention facilities and ensure detainees have access to legal resources. Vasquez already introduced the bipartisan Farm Workforce Support Act, which aims to create a pathway to H-2A visa reform for farm workers who sustain our agriculture industry.

"Many farmers and producers in Puerto Rico struggle to secure the levels of employment required for their annual production. As such, reliance on the H-2A program has increased and while I recognize the merits of the program, we must also evaluate some of the challenges that impact our agricultural communities to make policy improvements. The Farm Workforce Support Act would help us do that by requiring a report from the Comptroller General on this program that will help look into reliance on H2-A by employers and identify challenges with meeting some of the program requirements. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation alongside Representative Gabe Vazquez, Representative Juan Ciscomani, among others from both sides of the aisle, and I look forward to working together to get it across the finish line,” shares Congresswoman Jennifer González-Colón (R-PR).

On Monday, Vasquez hosted a press conference alongside Sunland Park City Manager Mario Juarez-Infante, Sunland Park Police Chief Eric Lopez, and President of the Border Industrial Association Jerry Pacheco. 

"Thank you, Congressman Vasquez, for shedding some light and bringing awareness of what’s taking place in our backyard in Sunland Park, which has an impact on the citizens and our first responders. We thank you for these initiatives and look forward to working with Congressman Vasquez,” said Eric Lopez, Sunland Park Police Chief. “It’s also important to us to support our local middle and high schools who cartels are targeting for recruitment, and we look forward to working together to tackle that issue as well. We appreciate the Congressman addressing the humanitarian effort in this crisis because we must ensure that those coming across are treated with dignity and respect.

"We are seeing a lot of issues, and we are working very closely with local law enforcement, border patrol and Gadsden Independent Schools and we are beginning to see some issues. What we used to see five or six years ago, we are now seeing a little more intensity and little more violence, so we need to provide that safety and that security for our residents and for our businesses. Sunland Park is a partner with the Border Industrial Association and all other local, state and federal agencies to ensure we are positioning New Mexico as an attractive place, and so we appreciate the Congressman and his focus to bring more security, to bring more manpower and to bring new technology to be able to carry forth this vision for this area,” said Mario Juarez-Infante, Sunland Park City Manager, during the press conference.

Vasquez remains committed to the workers who fuel our economy. Earlier this year, Vasquez introduced theEnergy Workers Health Improvement and Compensation Fund Act, to prioritize the health care of energy workers, holding polluters and wealthy, out-of-state oil executives accountable during an event with Somos Un Pueblo Unido. 

Vasquez’s unique background: growing up in an immigrant family, working on the U.S.-Mexico border, and experiencing in the borderland positions him to lead critical conversations on immigration reform in Congress. As the first in his family to become an American citizen, Vasquez is committed to addressing the pressing challenges faced by border communities, migrants and border security personnel.