Lock & Load, people! Have you noticed the recent increase of articles in the MSM on farmers whining about the need for immigration reform and Ag Jobs? The massive Chamber of Commerce and Illegal Alien Advocacy groups are feeding garbage to the MSM who are hungrily lapping it up and these groups are stalking tha halls of Congress whining to politicians. Many un-holy alliances are being formed. RAMP IT UP, NOW!!! Start calling, e-mailing and faxing Congress before this dance gets to the Senate floor. We need to be extremely pro-active on this. Ag Jobs is coming soon and we must defeat it!!!

U.S. Government Crackdown On Illegal Workers Could Hurt Local Farmers
by Nora Gathings (hsgathings@wsbt.com)

YouNewsTVâ„¢Story Created: Oct 8, 2007 at 9:43 PM EDT
Story Updated: Oct 9, 2007 at 8:53 AM EDT
By WSBT News1

The unseasonably warm weather brought an early harvest. That means thousands of migrant workers have left our area. But many farmers are wondering whether they'll return next year.

Homeland Security told farmers in August they must ensure migrant workers provide proper documentation.

Employers have always been required to check for proper documentation. But often the worker's Social Security number does not match other documents. The Social Security Administration sends out what's called a mismatch letter.

Now, Homeland Security is forcing employers to notify the workers in question. They must then prove they are eligible to work in the U.S.

Farmers say the problem is most workers aren't and if the law is enforced, they fear they won't have workers or crops.

The grueling work makes harvesting an undesirable job for most Americans.

"After a few days, they are tired and want to move on to some other job," says Fred Leitz, owner of Leitz Farms in Sodus, Michigan.

Thousands of migrant workers arrive every summer willing to harvest local crops. And farmers, like Leitz, are ready to check their documents.

"As long as on face they are correct and look good, we hire them," he says.

Once the crops are harvested, the workers are gone. But it's then the employers are notified by the government that many Social Security numbers don't match.

"I have to go through my records and make sure it's not a clerical error and give it to them [the employees] to rectify the document problem," says Leitz.

He says around 70 percent of farm workers wouldn't be able to provide legal documentation.

"I will lose a lot of my work force. they won't be able to work for me. And in agriculture, we have no replacement workers. American people don't want jobs like that," says Leitz.

He's been traveling to Washington D.C. for the past eight years, lobbying for a guest worker program, something U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, (R) Florida, would also like to see.

"It's a necessary workforce," says Senator Martinez.

But he says current laws must be enforced first.

"One of the problems we have in passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill is a lack of confidence in the government's ability to enforce the laws," he says.

Already, Senator Martinez has seen labor shortages in Florida's citrus industry.

And local farmers fear it's a problem that will lead to more imported produce.

"We can do it cheaper and better than anyone else. But they are going to take our migrants away from us, and we can't do it," says Leitz.

A San Francisco judge has prevented Homeland Security from enforcing the law for now. But farmers and lawmakers anticipate that the stop order will be lifted.

Farmers say their only hope in keeping their farms open is for Congress to pass legislation.
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/10330222.html