Thread: Farm Worker Shortage Blamed on US Immigration Crackdown

Farm Worker Shortage Blamed on US Immigration Crackdown
By Mil Arcega
Washington
10 October 2007

Agricultural experts say stepped up efforts to crack down on illegal immigration is having an unwanted effect on American farmers. Some claim recent raids and threats to prosecute companies that hire undocumented workers have resulted in a severe labor shortage that could force some farms out of business and lead to higher food prices.

Undocumented immigrants crossing the U.S. border from Mexico
Thousands of undocumented immigrants have been arrested or deported following recent raids in at least seven major U.S. cities. Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff says the message is that illegal immigration will not be tolerated. "For many years, the way we dealt with illegal immigration was we paid political lip service to toughness. I think we've got to show the public that we are serious about enforcing the laws as they currently are written."

And the enforcement appears to be working -- perhaps a bit too well. Estimates show more than half of all farm workers in the United States are illegal immigrants. Without the steady source of cheap labor they provide, Wisconsin's Agricultural Secretary Rod Nilsestuen says many farms would be unable to function. "If you took away Hispanic labor from agriculture and from dairying in Wisconsin, we'd be in crisis. There's no two ways about that."

But it is not just farms that rely on undocumented workers. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city would quote "collapse if they were deported." Even popular destinations such as Las Vegas would suffer. Donald Taylor is head of the Las Vegas Culinary Workers Union. "Las Vegas would stop, we would stop in our tracks. They do everything from cleaning a room, to serving a cocktail, to cooking a meal, to serving a meal, to cleaning the casino floor."

Immigration and labor shortages are hot topics in the farming industry
In California's San Joaquin Valley, the current 20 percent labor shortfall could lead to fields left unpicked, and tomatoes rotting on the vine. Luawanna Hallstrom is with the California Farm Bureau Federation. "This is like a time bomb just ready to go off."

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Some states have taken matters into their own hands. Washington state has begun airing commercials aimed at luring farm workers -- with promises of higher wages and better lifestyles.

United Food Worker's Arturo Rodriguez says the workers are there but many are in hiding. "The reality is that we do have a sufficient number of workers here to do the work. They just need to feel that they are protected, that their families are protected. And in that way they're going to continue working in agriculture."

The U.S. Labor Department says it is reviewing the farm worker visa program to look for ways to increase the flow of legal workers entering the country. But some fear the government's actions may be too late to salvage this year's harvest.
http://www.voanews.com:80/english/2007-10-10-voa21.cfm

Agricultural experts say stepped up efforts to crack down on illegal immigration is having an unwanted effect on American farmers

Once again, we have another writer who doesn't seem to research anything to back up their claims.

The "American farmer" is practically non-existant. Many of the farms that feed us, and which we export our food from, are owned by corporate farms.

They are no better than ANY OTHER CORPORATION in their business practices, and they should be punished to the full extent of the law, just like any other business who "has to" employee cheap illegal labor.

There's a shortage simply because the illegals have moved on into other industries like construction and landscaping. They DON'T WANT to pick in the fields anymore. So the farmers are trying to import more illegal workers and in time, they won't want to pick anymore, and so forth and so forth. It's a vicious circle that the farmers don't want to admit to. We need to utilize the worker programs that we already have and make sure these workers go back where they came from when the season is over. The farmers don't like the existing work programs because they would have to provide shelter for them. When they employ illegals and the work programs are not used, then they don't have to worry about housing the illegals and any help the illegals need comes out of the taxpayer's pocket. The cost is shifted from the farmers and big corp to the taxpayer. That's BS becasue its the farmer and big corp who benefit big time at the expense of the taxpayer.

This is total BS, I saw at least 100 farmworkers out in the fields today during a 5 mile bike ride.