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Is immigration broken?
By Matt Whetstone, Cadillac News


Thousands of miles from northern Michigan lies a tattered fence - barely standing in some places - surrounded by a harsh desert landscape.

On one side is Mexico, the other lies the United States. The two sides are barely distinguishable yet for many the desire to head north is overwhelming.

Beyond the fence lies opportunity for some, whether it's the profit of smuggling drugs or humans, or the potential to earn a living at a northern Michigan dairy or tree farm and support those left behind.

Whatever the reason, little stops the flow of men and women past the fence, which was erected many years ago to prevent cattle from wandering between the two countries. It certainly didn't stop a vehicle driven by drug smugglers in August 2001.


National Park Service Ranger Kris Eggle, while on patrol, was gunned down by one of the men. The Cadillac native died protecting the land he loved.

On that day, his father Bob Eggle began his quest toward immigration reform but little has changed other than increased awareness, a grassroots effort to protect the stretch of land and an immigration reform bill that is being debated in the U.S. Senate.

Watching the debate closely, Eggle said he sees politicians pandering for votes as they try to find a way to grant amnesty to many illegal immigrants already in the country. Instead, he said, the talk should focus on taking control of the border and securing the long-term safety for future generations, thus creating a safe and legal means for legal immigration. Then it will be time to sort out who is already in the country.

“We should be talking about Americanism and fundamental law and order rather than weakening ourselves with exceptions,” Eggle said.

On the table, after being passed by Congress in December 2005, is the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act. It mandates a 700-mile long fence along the border while criminalizing the presence of illegal workers and requiring employers to verify worker status to deport violators. Those in the agriculture business believe, if passed, it will shrink the migrant farm labor force and leave farm operators without enough workers.

“We've let it go so long there's going to be some economic hurt while we wean ourselves off cheap and illegal labor,” Eggle said. “Tightening the belt to absorb the economic impact will not be as tough as me tightening my belt to absorb the loss of my son.”

In the dairy industry, nearly one-third of work is done by Hispanic workers, said Ron Bazuin, the northern Michigan representative for the Dairy Farmers of America.

The agriculture business as a whole has 40,000 migrants working out of 120,000 jobs and surveys show between 57 and 80 percent are harvesting products without immigration documentation, according to Michigan State University Extension.

The DFA is looking for three specific things as the feds figure out the immigration problem. First, there must be an affordable, efficient guest worker program without interruption to the labor force. Second, it must allow those employed or with a recent work history to earn the right to work here legally.

Finally, the responsibility to verify the status of a worker should lie with the government, not the farmer.

“We've been putting quite a lot of effort into getting the legislature to settle that thing so people can be here legally,” Bazuin said.

A major problem for farmers is that their hands are tied when trying to verify the status of a potential worker, said Megan Wheaton, national legislative council for the Michigan Farm Bureau.

A farmer cannot simply ask a worker if they are in the country legally as it would be considered profiling and have legal implications. Instead, the farmer asks for a social security card, which can easily be counterfeited.

“Basically, we've created a system where you can't ask and they won't tell,” Wheaton said. “They have documentation and if that comes back false, you can't ask them because they can sue you.”

Even if a social security number comes back from the feds as a mismatch, the farmer can't fire the worker and do anything else.

“Yes, the system is broken and we need to have a system where we know whose coming in and working,” she said.

Like the DFA, the Farm Bureau desires reform without a disruption in the guest-worker program, which could cause Michigan to experience a $270 million loss in specialty crops alone, according to the agency. The state has a tremendous need for specialized agriculture workers and many Americans are simply unwilling to take those jobs, Wheaton said. So there is a need for a broad approach beyond just narrow enforcement, she added.

From his position in the Michigan House, Rep. Joel Sheltrown, D-West Branch, said he has seen firsthand how important guest worker labor is to Missaukee County farmers. For their role, farmers do the best they can under the current system to ensure they are employing legal workers.

“Local farmers are making every effort to make sure they have a legal right to be in this country,” Sheltrown said.

The topic of counterfeit documents and great verification methods hasn't even been discussed by politicians in Washington, Eggle said. They can't even make a phone call to check the status of a potential worker.

To make an impact on the legislature, Eggle said Heartland America needs to tighten its belt, band together and make its voice louder than the one now being heard by politicians.

“We must be active to make the Heartland felt more than the lobbying that has already taken place,” Eggle said. “We real Americans have to be louder, more dynamic.”

Eggle has traveled the country trying to further his case for border reform. On Monday he is speaking in Washington with a group of family members of those who died on Sept. 11.

mwhetstone@cadillacnews.com | 775-NEWS (6397)