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Issues: Immigration Reform

AgJOBS for a More Secure America - Four Reasons Why

REASON # 1:  BORDER SECURITY

Every American supports secure and well-managed borders.  Yet, every day the Border Patrol spends enormous resources apprehending economic migrants simply seeking to cling the bottom rung of America’s economic ladder milking cows or picking peaches.  Many find work in agriculture, since Americans are not raising their children to be field laborers. 

Providing legal channels for farm workers to enter, work, and return home when the season is over will free up Homeland Security resources to focus on true threats to America’s well-being. 

REASON #2:  FOOD SECURITY

Fruits, vegetables and other labor-intensive specialty crops represent half the value of American crop production, and constitute much of America’s food supply and a good diet.  These industries, plus others like dairy and livestock, cannot survive in America without access to an adequate and affordable labor supply.  The question isn’t whether foreign-born workers will plant, tend and harvest our crops and livestock.  The question is, will they do it in America, or somewhere else? 

Failure by Congress to enact timely and meaningful immigration reform will hasten American reliance on foreign countries to feed us.  Imagine a future in which America relies on sometimes-hostile foreign countries for our food to the extent we do our oil today. 

REASON #3:  LABOR FORCE SECURITY

AgJOBS will facilitate the proper documentation of the trained and trusted labor force here at work on America’s farms and ranches.  It will also facilitate an orderly transition to an improved agricultural worker program, as capacity is built on the farm and the border to rely more widely on a reformed H-2A program. 

REASON #4:  ECONOMIC SECURITY

Immigrant farm workers support American jobs.  Agricultural economists estimate that every farm worker job supports three to four jobs in the surrounding economy.  By and large these are good jobs, filled by Americans, in packaging, processing, distribution, equipment, other inputs, lending, and insurance.  Most of these jobs will move offshore if our production moves offshore. 

For all these reasons, and more, Congress must act swiftly to enact the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2007, S.340 and H.R. 371. Write Congress today on this issue!