US specialty crops hearing turns into immigration debate
James Field, the director of business development for Frey Farms, a Keenes, Ill., firm, noted that he is a member of the United Fresh Produce Association and said, "It is not possible to give a full and accurate perspective on federal policies that most affect our sector without mentioning immigration."
Field said Frey Farms "does its best" to make the H-2A program administered by the Labor Department work, but "it is very difficult."
"The vast majority of the nation's foreign-born farm workers do not have proper work authorization and the emphasis on enforcement without an accompanying effective legal ag guest-worker program, puts our industry, and our nation's ability to sustainably and affordably feed our people, in jeopardy," he said.
"We urge you to do what it takes to ensure that whatever immigration legislation Congress debates does not become final without a mechanism for addressing agriculture's real and urgent labor needs," Field added.
source: tsln.com
