Thread: GA Republicans plan to introduce immigration bill

November 12, 2011 in Local

Westmoreland, Kingston plan to introduce immigration bill
By Winston Skinner

The Newnan Times-Herald

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland says to buy Vidalia onions.

"You better buy all you can this year," he told about 50 people at a Town Hall meeting in Senoia on Thursday. Next year, he predicted, "there's not going to be anybody to pick them."

Immigration was one of the topics discussed by Westmoreland at the meeting sponsored by the Senoia Tea Party Patriots.

Westmoreland said he and U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Savannah) are introducing a bill that will address both illegal and legal immigration.

"It's going to be politically uncomfortable for a lot of people. The truth is the truth. It may be ugly sometimes, but at the end of the day it's still the truth," Westmoreland said.

Westmoreland said the program that allows farmers to legally hire Mexican migrant workers needs to work better. That law allows foreign workers to pick produce with the employer providing transportation and housing.

Too often, getting those applications processed is difficult, and there are instances where workers arrive later in the season than they are most needed.

"We need to make sure our farmers, our ranchers, our apple growers have the people they need," Westmoreland said. "We have an illegal immigrant problem because we have a legal immigrant problem."

Westmoreland said immigrants have been "doing work that the average American is not going to do." Initially, "the people who came up here, came up here strictly to work."

The illegal immigrants were often spending $2,500 just to go back and forth to Mexico or farther south. Being in America meant earning $8-$10 per hour instead of a dollar a day. The workers began to bring their wives and children.

They could get "the best education for their kids" and could not be turned away when they went to hospital emergency rooms for medical care, Westmoreland said. "Every child born here was an American citizen."

Westmoreland said the guest worker program needs to work more efficiently. He also said guest workers should not be allowed to bring their families with them.

He said illegal workers initially kept to themselves and were largely unseen except at work. Now they have emerged "out of the shadows," Westmoreland said. "We even have them protesting now."

http://www.times-herald.com/local/Westm ... l--1925009

Ah, yes...Georgia and their Vidallia onions! Back in 1998 the Georgia delegation, including Chambliss and Kingston & likely Newt put a stop to deportations because of their onion farmers. They get thousands of legal workers from MExico every year....time to put teenagers out there in the onion fields and some of our lazy welfare ites. It will be interesting to see what is in their bill.

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland says to buy Vidalia onions.

"You better buy all you can this year," he told about 50 people at a Town Hall meeting in Senoia on Thursday. Next year, he predicted, "there's not going to be anybody to pick them."

One can only hope...