11/5/2007
Brownback warns against adding immigration to Farm Bill
By ROXANA HEGEMAN
Associated Press Writer

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Efforts to add immigration provisions to the nation's farm bill would doom the legislation, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback said Monday.

For that reason, the Kansas Republican said he would oppose any such additions -- even though he supported separate provisions for agricultural workers.

"The immigration issue is so contentious -- let's not put it in the Farm Bill," Brownback said.

Brownback told reporters following a farm bill discussion with Kansas farm leaders that he would try to talk Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., out of adding her AgJobs measure to the farm bill.

The five-year farm bill, approved unanimously by the Senate Agriculture Committee, would provide more than $280 billion for agriculture and nutrition programs and leave in place most subsidies to producers of major crops. The bill now goes before the Senate for consideration.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said last month that lawmakers may try to add a measure that would give legal status to some temporary migrant farm workers.

Brownback told the Kansas Farm Bureau and the Agribusiness Council of Wichita that while he supported a measure bringing more agricultural workers, he did not want to "tank the farm bill" by including the controversial measure in it.

Brownback told farm leaders that the current ag worker program allows 40,000 workers into the country each year, the most workers that the current system can process. But the marketplace demands 500,000 migrant workers each year.

"You end up getting a lot of people coming across illegally just because you got a guy here with a patch of broccoli or strawberries or peaches that are rotting ... and a crew shows up, they get work," Brownback said. "People don't ask a lot of questions when they have a field to harvest. The system almost encourages an illegal nature to it."

Brownback said Americans are not opposed to immigration, only illegal immigration.

The Kansas Republican said the immigration system is broken, but that lawmakers need to build fence and get control of the border before people will trust them with immigration reform.

On other issues, Brownback said he hoped to endorse a presidential candidate in the near future. Brownback dropped out of the race last month, citing poor fundraising. His former opponents have since sought his endorsement.

Asked whether he would consider joining another ticket as a vice president candidate, Brownback said he has not been approached for that by any candidate. Brownback said he would consider it, but that right now he was focused on his current job as a Kansas senator.

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