Speech #940077952

The burden would be on the Government to follow up persons not entitled to employment and take appropriate action. Employers who participate in the survey process could only be prosecuted for hiring persons known not to be entitled to employment in this country. While prohibiting the employment of illegal aliens. many of us in Congress would be remiss not to realize that a substantial amount of agricultural labor in our respective jurisdictions is performed by those not legally entitled to employment in this country. To prohibit such employment without giving notice to agricultural employers would put many of them right out of business and leave crops literally rotting in the field. For want of a harvest force. therefore. I have provided a limited 5year exemption to permit the continuance of alien employment in the fields at locations where there are not sufficient laborers who are legally entitled to employment in the United States. I think that such an exemption is perfectly in keeping with the main purpose of any illegal alien employment prohibition. We are attempting to open up jobs which would be filled by the ranks of our unemployed. It would simply be unrealistic to expect that these unemployed persons who have engaged in industrial or serviceoriented positions would take to the fields and fill the void left by the departed alien harvester. We must also remember in our assessment of responsibilities over the alien worker dilemma that effective enforcement can only emanate from a Government agency that is financed and staffed appropriately. The Immigration and Naturalization Service which has the task of supervising the alien problem in this country has never been able to adequately perform the surveillance with which we have entrusted it and certainly could not begin to handle the caseload created by an effective alien worker legislation. Therefore. we should. without delay. approve a sufficient sum of money which would enable INS to adequately carry out their present responsibilities as well as the increased workload which would be created by any new legislation. Mr. Chairman. this is not the first time we. in Congress. have been called upon to address our attention to the alien worker problem. Immigration authorities have pleaded with us for meaningful reform and we have studied the matter to the point of repetition. The days when we could share our resources on an unrestricted basis with the tired. poor. and huddled masses of the world are gone. The sooner we act in keeping with this reality the better.