Thread: The farmers’ viewpoint: Alabama’s immigration law may re

The farmers’ viewpoint: Alabama’s immigration law may reduce needed migrant labor
by The Anniston Star Editorial Board
Jul 22, 2011

Supporters of Alabama’s new immigration law have contended that illegal immigrants have taken Alabamians’ jobs. The law, they argue, will discourage illegal immigrants from coming in and make those who are here leave, which will leave more jobs for the state’s legal residents.

Well, maybe.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimated that Hispanic employment in Alabama in 2009 was about 54,000 — 2.7 percent of the state’s total work force. Not all of them are illegal.

When the recession hit, that percentage began to decline. The statistics show why.

In 2009, nearly 30 percent of employed Hispanics worked in construction, 16.2 percent in manufacturing and production, 13 percent in maintenance and grounds, and just more than 9 percent in food services. All of these areas have seen significant layoffs in the last three years.

These jobs are gone. Many of them will not be back until the economy revives.

Now this law may open up jobs in agricultural labor — jobs that often have been filled by Hispanic laborers.

In the past, the state has relied on migrant farm workers to bring in each season’s harvest. There is concern this year that those workers won’t be available. There also is concern among farmers that they will have trouble using the now-required E-verify system to make sure those they hire are legal. That system uses high-speed computer connections that often are not available in some rural areas.

So, farm labor is a place where out-of-work Alabamians could find employment. It is seasonal, which may not appeal to all workers, but in hard times, any work is good work.

The state of Georgia might disagree with that, however.

Faced with the threat of farm loses in the $1 billion range, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal decided to replace Hispanic farm workers, who were leaving the state, with ex-inmates, who were required to work while on probation.

What sounded like a good idea to some proved to be a disaster.

The probationers could not keep up the Latino workers’ pace. Some sat down and quit, the Associated Press reported. Others “just left, took off across the field walking.â€

The farmer's illegal "migrant" labor tends to multiply in the form of new welfare "citizens", most are climing to be unwed mothers and taping the welfare system as hard as they can while dad is getting paid cash by the farmers or the "contractor" that supplies them to the farmer.

The costs for education, medical expenses subsidized housing, free breakfasts and lunches and a multitude of other little expenses picked up by the taxpayers that don't hire iillegals and not available for legal citizens. The people that use cheap illegal labor are the villians here, not the state. JMO.

Use prison inmates if you have to. If you cant do it legally than sell your farm to someone who can...

In 2009, nearly 30 percent of employed Hispanics worked in construction, 16.2 percent in manufacturing and production, 13 percent in maintenance and grounds, and just more than 9 percent in food services. All of these areas have seen significant layoffs in the last three years.

Right, so what makes these farmers think that these illegals will want to work on farms for less $$$ than in the above mentioned jobs? The only "migrants" who will take the cheap farm jobs would be new illegals.

The solution is either pay more for LEGAL workers or quit your whining and sell the place!!

Seasonal farm work has always been done by migrant labor. I have family in CO , NE that have made use of it. Sugar beets must be hand worked and migrant labor is used. If you have several thousand acres of beets that need hoed you must import labor. First of all in those areas towns have very small populations. There are not enough residents to begin with. Secondly it is seasonal work and only lasts for around thirty days or so. What would the population do for the rest of the year to earn a living? Even if there were enough people to do it they could not leave their other jobs to work the fields. Not a new issue and one that was easily managed in days gone by. The problem started when they did not go home and stayed and took other jobs. Law enforcement looked the other way and the problem grew out of control. Work permits could be issued, and were before. If there are no peaches on the trees and it is January , then your permit is no good. The myth has been expanded to encompass all jobs they do, as jobs Americans do not want. This is not true. Some jobs they do such as migrant farm work are jobs Americans generally cannot do and earn a year round living.