Thread: PA: Illegals pit safety vs. economics

Illegals pit safety vs. economics
By Jessica VanderKolk
September 14, 2008

A machine can't harvest apples on Neil Hinish's 160-acre orchard near Roaring Spring.

Workers must pick the fruit by hand, and Hinish's 22 workers will spend time in the trees through the end of October.

The workers come from Mexico, and they make $12 to $15 an hour picking fruit for 9 hours each day. Many of Hinish's workers harvest oranges in Florida four to six months a year, move north to pick blueberries in New Jersey, then arrive at his orchard for apple season.

As far as Hinish knows, his workers are here legally.

"If they have the right cards and the picture matches, that's OK with me," he said. "I don't see where it's my job to be the law enforcement on that part. You have to watch discrimination. If I say the card doesn't look right and it's legal, they could sue for discrimination."

The Pew Hispanic Center estimated about 12 million illegal immigrants lived in the U.S. as of 2006. Congress continues to consider legislation regarding border security and guest worker programs.

Debate has included conflict on allowing those already in the U.S. to stay, whether to send immigrants back to their home countries to begin the process of coming back legally and various types of guest worker programs.

Although about 2,000 miles from the U.S./Mexican border, Pennsylvanians have expressed concern with immigration policy as it relates to farm labor and crime.

On farms across the state and nation, domestic workers don't want the seasonal, hot, labor-intensive jobs.

Hinish didn't mind saying that his workers' motivation would put to shame most U.S. citizens, and he said people here don't understand how hard they work.

"They only come up here for one thing, and it's to make money in season," he said. "People don't understand, and it's never printed, the people of this country are lazy, and they do not want to work."

In cities such as Hazleton and Altoona, officials have created ordinances penalizing illegal immigrants after police have found some criminal offenders to be living in the U.S. illegally.

Both cities await a decision this fall from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, which is considering Hazleton's ordinance after a federal district judge struck it down last year as unconstitutional. The ordinance, created in 2006, makes it illegal to hire or rent housing to illegal immigrants.

Altoona followed with a similar ordinance, as municipalities have taken on the issue while awaiting action from the federal government. Altoona's law has not stirred the community much lately.

"We haven't gotten a single complaint or heard a concern in months," Mayor Wayne Hippo said. "What we're really doing is waiting for a decision out of the 3rd Circuit."

The city's codes director, Mark Ernest, said his office hasn't received a complaint in about a year.

"Naturally, when the ordinance went into effect, we did get a few phone calls on it," he said. "It's one of those ordinances you've just got to be very careful you don't discriminate against people. You can't just go up to people and say, 'Let me see your green card.' You can't make accusations like that."

Hippo said he couldn't predict the court's ruling or what the city will do concerning its own law.

"I think what most people want is the federal government to enforce the law and have a sound policy," he said. "I think that's best, not just for Altoona, but best for the country."

Top issue for some

Illegal immigration is the No. 1 issue for retired firefighter Ralph Brunza of Kingston, Luzerne County. He pointed to an incident in Shenandoah in July, when a group of teens beat a Mexican immigrant to death. Anti-immigration and unity protesters appeared in the area in August.

"They complain that we should not deport an illegal immigrant," Brunza said. "What part of 'illegal' don't they understand?"

Brunza wants to see a more secure U.S./Mexican border.

"I say put a high electric fence across the entire southern border," he said. "I know terrorists come in through the border with Mexico."

Brunza said continuing the federal government's wiretapping program has prevented terrorist attacks on the U.S. since Sept. 11, 2001.

"Why? Because they're monitoring terrorist groups," he said of the federal government. "And I'm OK with that."

How they stand

A new president will take over in January, and the candidates have similar goals in mind as they address the issue.

John McCain's top priority is to secure the nation's borders using physical and virtual barriers, providing funding for ground and training resources and deploying various vehicles where needed and appropriate along the southern border. He wants to create a verification system for employers and prosecute those hiring illegal immigrants.

He also wants to implement guest worker programs to address U.S. labor needs while still protecting American jobs.

One of the programs McCain plans to reform is the H-2A visa program for temporary farm workers, like those Hinish employees. However, he does not use the federal program.

"I've been to some meetings about it but thought it wasn't for us," Hinish said. "It sounds good, but I've heard from other growers who've had problems. They have trouble getting workers, where I haven't had trouble."

Because farmers must apply for the program at least 45 days before they need workers, they must predict how many they will need, a difficult task for farmers relying on the weather and other changing conditions for bountiful crops. Farmers in the program also must provide transportation, fair wages and housing to workers.

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau estimates less than 40 farms here use the program - a small number, spokesman Mark O'Neill said.

"Say you have a huge hail storm that wipes out your crop, or let's say your fruits didn't mature at the time you thought they would, you still have to pay these workers no matter what," O'Neill said. "It's very expensive."

Without migrant farm labor, O'Neill said Pennsylvania would lose an estimated $100 million to $175 million a year from direct sales.

"It's not just the farmers, because if the farmers go out, you lose processors," he said. "There's a domino effect in how this impacts business. Then it's going to affect customers."

While Barack Obama's campaign plan doesn't directly address the program, he also wants to create secure borders using additional personnel, infrastructure and technology at the southern border and at U.S. ports. He, like McCain, wants to find a balance between addressing U.S. labor needs and protecting jobs, and he wants to lower fees immigrants must pay to become U.S. citizens.

Also like McCain, Obama wants to create an employment verification system. He also believes legal immigrants who fight in the U.S. military should receive citizenship more quickly.

Plan supported

The farm bureau supports a plan by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein to allow migrant workers, illegal or not, to work in agriculture legally for five years, during which Congress could continue debate and pass a comprehensive immigration plan.

"It's a huge concern for any farmer who needs anything hand-picked," O'Neill said. "Because without it, they really are going to be put out of business."

Dairy farmers also face labor concerns. Larger farms may need three shifts of cow milkers, or up to 20 workers. Brian Kelly, an educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension Blair County, said area farms pay good wages, but in many cases, the average American isn't attracted to farm work.

"A farm in Blair County put an ad in the paper and was looking for help for two years," Kelly said. "He had a high school boy come and someone who had done his debt to society, which they had some concern about. We shouldn't be discriminating, but those are concerns. They decided to go with a Hispanic employee and have been very satisfied."

Kelly said the labor problem has plagued farmers for about a decade, and the challenge to become more efficient calls for bigger farms and more labor.

"You need to be able to keep these people," Kelly said. "What they've found with Hispanic folks is, they will come here and work."

www.altoonamirror.com

"They only come up here to make money in season"????? But if that were all they do, would we have the death toll and wage stagnation for the working poor that we do? Would we have the changing neighborhoods and the burdens on local government?

The orchard owner is telling himself a fairy tale to justify what he is doing. I'll bet he has long ago stopped trying to recruit locals, or if he does, he goes about it wrong, then cries how he can't find local people who are any good.

Also like McCain, Obama wants to create an employment verification system. He also believes legal immigrants who fight in the U.S. military should receive citizenship more quickly.

Geez, Bush has already written an executive order reducing the time to 12 months.

"If they have the right cards and the picture matches, that's OK with me," he said. "I don't see where it's my job to be the law enforcement on that part. You have to watch discrimination. If I say the card doesn't look right and it's legal, they could sue for discrimination."

This is coming from someone that doesn't utilize E-verify.

"They only come up here for one thing, and it's to make money in season," he said. "People don't understand, and it's never printed, the people of this country are lazy, and they do not want to work."

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm sick of being told how "lazy" Americans are! Laziness didn't build the greatest country in the free world and neither did illegal immigrants!

The workers come from Mexico, and they make $12 to $15 an hour picking fruit for 9 hours each day. Many of Hinish's workers harvest oranges in Florida four to six months a year, move north to pick blueberries in New Jersey, then arrive at his orchard for apple season.

As far as Hinish knows, his workers are here legally.

"If they have the right cards and the picture matches, that's OK with me," he said. "I don't see where it's my job to be the law enforcement on that part. You have to watch discrimination. If I say the card doesn't look right and it's legal, they could sue for discrimination."

No one is saying it's not a tough job.

The issue is that WE the taxpayers are subsidizing these people via social services meant for Americans. Wanna bet how many illegal aliens will stop coming if they can't get the freebies? They come here to have as many anchor babies (also known as jackpot babies, moneymakers, etc.)as they can to rake in the dough. How does one man making $12-15 support his stay-at-home "wife" and 2-10 kids? He doesn't! WE DO! Enouh is enough, cut it all out and send them back home! If they insist on staying, then let them try it without ANY handouts!