Thread: Farms could suffer due to stricter IA rules

Farms could suffer due to stricter undocumented immigration rules in Pennsylvania
canadaupdates.com
by Michelle S
September 12, 2011

United States, 12th September: Proposed tougher immigration rules for undocumented immigrants living in Pennsylvania are going to affect a large number of farm workers.

Republicans allege undocumented immigrants consumer federal funds-
The rules have been cited by Republicans, the proponents of the rules, as indispensable for curbing increasing public spending.

They allege undocumented immigrants consume a huge portion of public spending of the state including public welfare, public education and corrections.

According to leading package sponsor and chairman of the House State Government Committee, Republican Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, each US state is getting affected due to undocumented immigrants in terms of consumption of government taxpayer amount.

Citing figures from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Metcalfe said each year, around $1 billion is spend by taxpayers on the undocumented immigrants living here.

Undocumented immigrant community, Pennsylvania’s small businesses would suffer- Its being feared by the opponents of the proposed rules for undocumented immigrants that such changes could spell disaster for the state’s economy since it would affect a large number undocumented immigrants and deportation could create a huge shortage of farm workers in Pennsylvania.

It will put a large number of Pennsylvania farms out of business due to their dependence on immigrant workers, including legal immigrants as well as undocumented ones.

The crops are already hanging and ready to be picked, said owner of a fruit farm in Pennsylvania, Kay Hollabaugh.

She stated that the E-Verify system consumes too much time in verifying the potential farm workers. So, she said she has stopped using the system for hiring farm workers.

According to official figures from a Washington based policy center, Center for Immigration Studies, Pennsylvania has around 12 million undocumented immigrants living there. (Mod note:1.2 million perhaps?)

Out of these, around 110,000 are employed.

Bills awaiting approval

• Allowing enforcement of law for checking of photo identification at a random.

• Requirement of photo identification for getting public benefits.

• Requiring all businesses to make use of E-Verify for ensuring all workers are US citizens

.The bills, if introduced, will thus, not only affect a large number of undocumented immigrants living in Pennsylvania but also will result in shortage of workers required to do the farm work in Pennsylvania farms.

http://www.canadaupdates.com/content/fa ... 16829.html

According to official figures from a Washington based policy center, Center for Immigration Studies, Pennsylvania has around 12 million undocumented immigrants living there. (Mod note:1.2 million perhaps?)

If Pa had 12 million the numbers for illegals would be more staggering then they are now,for the whole country. It is amazing they want to keep bringing this issue up when only a very small number or percentage of illegals actually work in the fields picking.

I would tend to lean further that these people are coming in and MAYBE picking and ,as reported here in NC,they network and then migrate to other areas and take other types of jobs. Other then working in the fields. They too,get more money working in manufacturing,services,and construction or meat packing.

Come on! They came before to work medial jobs and now they want more and are not doing it the legal way many did before. It is not that we (the government) are cracking down on illegal immigration.

The large corporate farmers would suffer. The ones that give all of those political contributions.

Henderson County, North Carolina, is a 287G county and it was in the local news, that apple growers here are finding it hard to employ enough workers to pick the apples, ready for harvest.

This would seem to indicate that the illegal alien population is decreasing in Henderson County, but there are still many children of the IA's, enrolled in public schools. I think that where in years past, the IA's were migrant workers, they are now fulltime residents, and have moved from farm work, to more lucrative jobs.

Since it is getting somewhat harder to enter the U.S. illegally, the established IA's are not being replaced by new arrivals, who would be willing to accept the farm jobs.

The crops are already hanging and ready to be picked, said owner of a fruit farm in Pennsylvania, Kay Hollabaugh.

She stated that the E-Verify system consumes too much time in verifying the potential farm workers. So, she said she has stopped using the system for hiring farm workers.

That's the price of doing business Kay. Don't want to use E-Verify? Then go out of business, because PA taxpayers are suffering due to the fact that your cheap labor is costing us billions in entitlements. Got no sympathy for you!

It takes about a minute and half, to use E-verify. Sorry, we don't accept your lame excuse.