The debate rages on over illegal immigration and immigration reform as the labor shortage in American agriculture continues to grow. This year immigration reform is one of the most talked about issues on Capitol Hill and throughout the United States, and the possibility of achieving reform is more within reach than ever. However, it's also one of the most divisive issues in American history and certainly in American agriculture.
For labor-intensive agricultural sectors including floriculture, nursery, greenhouse, fruit, citrus and vegetable, the lack of workers has already caused economic losses and is worsening yearly. Both private estimates and government statistics say 70 percent of the agricultural workers in the United States are undocumented. Many have moved into middle management and make up agriculture's trained and trusted workforce. The current dysfunctional immigration situation hurts all of agriculture and the U.S. economy.
Immigration reform must be a high priority for Congress and the Bush Administration. Agriculture needs comprehensive immigration reform that will accomplish three goals:
- Legislation must provide a way to legalize the current trained and trusted workforce that is now illegal and working in agriculture, subject to conditions such as future work requirements and standards for good behavior.
- Agriculture needs a workable guestworker program. Currently, the H-2A guestworker program is unreliable, expensive and litigious; as a result, few employers use it as a source of foreign seasonal labor. In fact, the H-2A program provides only 2 percent of the U.S. agricultural workforce.
- Border and interior security must be improved; however, the agriculture community does not support "enforcement only" legislation that would criminalize workers who have already spent years working in the United States.
It is imperative that Congress passes a comprehensive immigration reform law to resolve the labor crisis agriculture is currently facing. To learn about the progress made on immigration reform and the current status of legislation on Capitol Hill, click on Current Status. To stay informed on this constantly evolving issue, visit News. And to make your voice heard on immigration reform, please download a sample letter to send to your senators on the Take Action page.
You are not alone in this fight for immigration reform. Along with the horticulture publications at Meister Media Worldwide, including American Fruit Grower, American Vegetable Grower, Florida Grower, Greenhouse Grower, Ornamental Outlook and Today's Garden Center, the following industry associations support comprehensive legislation to improve agriculture's ongoing labor crisis.
- American Nursery & Landscape Association
- California Grape & Tree Fruit League
- National Potato Council
- Society of American Florists
- U.S. Apple Association
- Washington State Horticultural Association
- Western Growers
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