Close to one hundred area farm workers and supporters will march Friday evening in Madera in support of the AgJobs bill allowing undocumented field laborers to earn permanent legal status.

The bipartisan federal AgJobs bill now before the U.S. Senate--S. 1645 and H.R. 3142, by U.S. Sens. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), and U.S. Reps. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and Howard Berman (D-Calif.)--would allow undocumented farm workers to earn the legal right to permanently stay in this country by continuing to work in agriculture. Also strongly backed by the agricultural industry, AgJobs has the support of 63 co-sponsors in the Senate, including 26 Republicans. A Senate floor vote on the measure is being blocked by President Bush.

AgJobs has been endorsed by more than 400 hundred organizations representing a broad cross-section of employer associations, religious organizations, immigrant advocates, civil rights groups and unions from across the nation. The editorial boards of the Wall St. Journal, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, Fresno Bee, Salinas Californian, La Opinion, Miami Herald, New York Times and other newspapers around the U.S. have editorialized for the measure.

Who: UFW Vice President Lupe Martinez and close to one hundred area farm workers.

What: March in Madera in support of the AgJobs immigration reform bill before Congress.

When: 5:00 p.m. march begins; 6 p.m. rally, Friday, September 17, 2004.

Where: Begins at the EDD Offices at "D" and 7th St, Madera; ends at Madera County Court Park at Gateway Drive and Yosenite Ave, Madera.

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