Thread: CA: Ag employers criticize proposed fed action

Ag employers criticize proposed fed action

By Seth Nidever
snidever@HanfordSentinel.com
A proposed federal crackdown on employers who hire illegal immigrants would devastate whole sectors of Kings County agriculture, local sources close to the industry said this week.

The regulations, announced by the Department of Homeland Security last week, would require employers to verify that workers are using valid Social Security numbers and fire the ones that aren't.

The rules will take effect in 30 days, Bush administration officials have said.

The impact will be catastrophic, according to growers and local officials.

"They're going to put us out of business," said John Tos of Tos Farms Inc., a Kings County company that employs hundreds of workers in peach, plum, nectarine and other tree orchards.
Individual growers, fearing sanctions, were reluctant to comment on how many illegal immigrants may be working for their companies.

All workers have to present documentation of their legal status when hired, but it's well known that a lot of the documentation is forged, according to Steve Highfill, human resources director for Warmerdam Packing and Excelsior Farming, two Kings County companies that together employ more than 1,000 people.

As many as 97 percent of agricultural workers are in the U.S. illegally, Highfill said.

Other industries that rely heavily on undocumented immigrant labor are construction, landscaping and hotels and motels.

The new rules give employers 90 days to verify the validity of the social security number each worker provides.

The effect will be the "end of ag as we know it," according to Highfill.

"There are so many illegals worki

http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/articles ... 204326.txt

There is a LEGAL working Visa for AGRICULTURAL WORKERS without a cap currently in the system, Mr Highfil. Don't play dumb, even if you are!

How about using welfare recipients?