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€