Thread: Illegal workers hot topic in 4th Poll says issue ranks third

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/ne ... 777028.htm


Posted on Tue, Oct. 17, 2006

ELECTION 2006

Illegal workers hot topic in 4th
Poll says issue ranks third with voters

By Steve Lannen And John Stamper
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS

Even though voters in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District are thousands of miles from the Mexican border, a poll by a Washington immigration think tank suggests that immigration issues will weigh heavily on the minds of Northern Kentuckians in the upcoming election.
The poll, sponsored by the right-leaning Center for Immigration Studies, also shows U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky., with a lead of five percentage points over Democrat and former congressman Ken Lucas, although 21 percent of the 500 likely voters surveyed Oct. 6-7 remain undecided. Davis led Lucas 40 percent to 35 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
The Center for Immigration Studies asked voters nationally and in 10 battleground districts with tight congressional races what issues loom large as they decide which candidates to support Nov. 7. In the 4th District, immigration ranks third, behind "Iraq/terrorism" and "health care/prescription drugs."
Thirteen percent of district voters surveyed said it is their most important issue, and an additional 44 percent said it was one of their top three issues.
An additional 31 percent said immigration was important, but not in their top three. Only 10 percent said it wasn't important at all.
Taxes, education, moral issues, jobs/economy and taxes ranked below immigration.
This follows a national Pew Research Center poll released recently that suggests most voters aren't thinking too much about the immigration issue. In that poll, 24 percent of voters named immigration as a key election issue, compared with 51 percent who cited Iraq and 37 percent who cited terrorism.
However, the Pew poll suggests immigration is much more likely to be an important issue for Republican voters, who dominate in the conservative district that stretches along the Ohio River from Louisville's suburbs to the West Virginia border and comes as far south as northern Scott County.
"It's one of the top issues we hear about repeatedly, especially out in the rural areas outside of Northern Kentucky," said Justin Brasell, campaign manager for Davis. "I don't think you have to be a border state to be concerned about it -- and clearly people are."
Immigration came to the national forefront last spring when immigrants held a series of protests as the U.S. Senate considered a border-enforcement measure already passed by the House that would have criminalized immigrants remaining in the United States without papers. It also would have provided no opportunity for a guest-worker program, something President Bush wants, or allowed an undocumented worker to eventually become a citizen.
In the 4th District, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials raided homebuilding sites in May, arresting and later deporting several workers in Florence. Across the river in Ohio, Butler County sheriff Richard Jones has also gained a lot of attention for his get-tough stance on immigrants and criticism of the federal government's perceived inaction.
Davis and Lucas have sparred publicly over immigration issues, although the two men have fairly similar stances.
Davis has tried to portray Lucas as "soft" on immigration by claiming in a television ad that he voted to give benefits to illegal aliens. However, the vote actually affected only immigrants in the country lawfully.
The distinction is important, since the Center for Immigration Studies' poll shows that 54 percent of respondents in the 4th District are much more likely to vote for a candidate who wants to deny jobs and benefits to illegal immigrants.
"It doesn't look like there's much support in Kentucky's 4th for increasing immigration or any sort of legalization," said Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Lucas has criticized the most recently passed immigration bill in Congress, which calls for a 700-mile fence, as being too weak. He called the measure "bubblegum and bailing wire" and suggested that Congress doesn't really want to address meaningful reform.
Both men oppose amnesty or any other path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and support border-strengthening measures.
The candidates' only contrasting stances are on a possible guest-worker program for farmers. Lucas supports such a program; Davis does not.
"We oppose any expansion of the existing guest worker programs until we secure our borders," Brasell said.
While seemingly popular in the Northern Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati, that position is unpopular with some farmers, many of whom have had a hard time finding laborers to work the fields this year.
Tighter border security this summer, along with more workers flocking to construction jobs in post-Katrina Louisiana, has probably contributed to the shortage, said Rick Alexander, executive director of the Commodity Growers Cooperative in Lexington.
He predicts tobacco will be left in the field or lost to bad weather because of delays and lack of manpower.
Right now, the H2A visa program is the only legal way to get immigrant workers. The program needs to be more flexible and eliminate red tape that causes delays, said Jess Burrier, who is using the program for the first time this year in Harrison County.
Burrier said he is "extremely disappointed" with those in Congress who talk about building walls or deporting people.
If anyone is really informed about the issue, Burrier said, they would know that food and other commodities will rot in the fields without immigrant labor.
"Let's hope it's just hard-core rhetoric and they're really informed," Burrier said. "Sending the Mexicans back and building a big wall isn't going to fix the fact that we just don't have enough labor to meet our needs in this nation."

Reach Steve Lannen in the Herald-Leader's Georgetown bureau at (502) 867-1354 or e-mail slannen@herald-leader.com.





© 2006 Lexington Herald-Leader and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.kentucky.com

While seemingly popular in the Northern Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati, that position is unpopular with some farmers, many of whom have had a hard time finding laborers to work the fields this year.
Tighter border security this summer, along with more workers flocking to construction jobs in post-Katrina Louisiana, has probably contributed to the shortage, said Rick Alexander, executive director of the Commodity Growers Cooperative in Lexington.

So the pay is too low to keep them on the farms, even when compared to the $8-10 an hour an illegal employer will pay, right? And just who would be doing those jobs if the illegals weren't? That's right, American citizens, like the 70-some that were chased back to Birmingham because "the Mexicans had arrived!"

He predicts tobacco will be left in the field or lost to bad weather because of delays and lack of manpower.

Tobacco is going the way of the buggywhip. Grow something else, numbnutz.

Right now, the H2A visa program is the only legal way to get immigrant workers. The program needs to be more flexible and eliminate red tape that causes delays, said Jess Burrier, who is using the program for the first time this year in Harrison County.

So you admit to hiring illegal aliens in previous years? You admit to being a criminal in FELONY violation of U.S. Law? That's just one MORE reason NOT to listen to you.

Corporate Slaver, how do you sleep at night?

You must be completely misguided as this farm owner is not a "Corporate Slaver", but self employed. The legal minimum wage for a LEGAL immigrant worker is over $8.00 per hour. We advertised in a 6 county region and offer the same wages for American workers; we did not receive 1 phone call. The low unemployment rate contributes to this in multiple ways. AND Tobacco is still grown in the US and sold to other countries. Ours goes to Switzerland, I believe. Wake up and smell the coffee. Come and take a trip to a working farm. The fruit growers are having trouble as well. Perhaps you need to get educated on all aspects of this issue.

Well, if the laws were enforced the way they were written we wouldn't be having this discussion. Because you're willing to look the other way to save a buck on labor, there are now 35 MILLION illegal aliens in this nation. By their absence from your fields, I guess your pay rate is so low even an illegal wont take it.

Can you live on $8 an hour? What makes you think any OTHER American can?

Yes, you're a slaver, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Apparently, since the American Government sets the minimum wage in this country, it is completely livable. If you have a problem with that too, you should find yet another forum. However, once again, since you have so little agricultural knowledge, government inspected housing is available at most farms (free).
And we do not "look the other way" but are part of the H-2A program hiring LEGAL immigrant workers. Once again, I invite you to take a big step for such a person of ignorance and visit any large farm and see for yourself. It's easy for you to sit in your chair and spew intolerance without even an understanding of the reality of agriculture in America.

FACT: MINIMUM WAGE was created for young teen workers.

FACT: Minimum Wage is and was never meant for any adult &/or family to live on.

Low Unemployment rate: are you saying that, in your area - a farming community I presume, there are no under educated, low skilled workers who do NOT have jobs? AMAZING if so.
Or, is it possible that their welfare pays the same as you do and it's not even worth the price of a phone call to answer YOUR AD?

BREAKING the LAW: are you expecting to get a pass when I, another self employed small business person, would get hung out to dry should I make the decision to hire ILLEGAL ALIENS and suck up the extra profit while my country is going down the tubes?

I know quite a few people like you. It's a sad day in America when one would cave into doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason rather than demanding that the right thing be done and force the playing field to be honestly leveled rather than artificially being leveled for all of the players.

It IS a sad day in America when people do not READ the conversation they are in. Once again, we hire LEGAL H-2A workers, not illegal immigrants.

You are making a pretty big assumption with your flippant remarks about huge profits. If there was so much profit in agriculture, why then the government subsidies on some agricultural products? If there was a HUGE profit margin, more people would be doing it wouldn't they? And I suppose you have an answer as to why the US Govt. just agreed to purchase chicken from China.

Perhaps you need to talk to your congressmen/women and senators about the minimum wage. I think they understood what they MEANT to do. And if they MEANT to do something else, they should change that. We follow the law.

Originally Posted by sahmof3

It IS a sad day in America when people do not READ the conversation they are in. Once again, we hire LEGAL H-2A workers, not illegal immigrants.

You are making a pretty big assumption with your flippant remarks about huge profits. If there was so much profit in agriculture, why then the government subsidies on some agricultural products? If there was a HUGE profit margin, more people would be doing it wouldn't they? And I suppose you have an answer as to why the US Govt. just agreed to purchase chicken from China.

Perhaps you need to talk to your congressmen/women and senators about the minimum wage. I think they understood what they MEANT to do. And if they MEANT to do something else, they should change that. We follow the law.

You may follow the law, but many employers use immigrant labor to lower their costs. So the demand for low cost labor is greater than the supply. Immigrants can easily get full time jobs in construction or hospitality. Many of these jobs pay more. So the workers go where they make the most money.

Employers don't want to raise wages, they want an endless supply of cheap, uneducated, low skilled workers.

I think the govt. needs a program for seasonal workers, but it won't work if the workers are free to work anywhere. Most employers don't verify SSNs, so immigrants can move from seasonal work to full time work.

The min. wage in OH is $7.25, but I pay $30.00/hr to get the type of skilled labor necessary. You are allowed to pay more than min. wage.