Speech #980219590

This amendment. which creates a temporary agricultural worker program limited to perishable commodities. recognizes the economic realities of the agricultural sector of our economy which has come to rely upon highly mobile foreign workers to harvest crops due to the unavailability of domestic workers. This amendment will ensure producers of perishable commodities with an adequate and dependable work force. preventing any labor gaps which may result from the legalization and employer sanctions provisions of H.R. Moreover. the House rejected an amendment to delete the provision of H.R. 1510 requiring a search warrant before Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] officials may enter agricultural fields. The majority of the House recognized that if agriculture is to comply with the employer sanctions and verification procedures demanded of other industries under H.R. 1510. it is only fair that farmers and farmworkers be granted the same standard ofprotection from unreasonable search and seizure that other businesses enjoy. However. while I believe these provisions significantly improve the legislations responsiveness to the special needs of agriculture. I am afraid the overall shortcomings of the bill outweigh these improvements. I continue to believe that the very generous mass legalization provision of H.R. 1510. which makes illegal aliens who have resided in the United States since January 1. 1982. eligible for temporary resident status. is the greatest weakness of the bill. Rather than assisting our Nation in gaining control of our borders. the amnesty provision in the bill before us will have the unintended effect of encouraging even more undocumented workers to come to the United States. Aliens will undoubtedly continue to illegally enter the United States in the hope that an amnesty will occur again in the future and that they can fraudulently qualify for the amnesty. As I stated in my opening remarks concerning H.R. 1510. it hardly strikes me as prudent policy to proceed with an amnesty program until it has been adequately demonstrated that our borders can be reasonably secured. To go forward with the legalization provisions of the legislation before us would send a signal to the rest of the world that the United States lacks the will and resources to secure its borders and enforce its immigration policies. Mr. Chairman. I therefore regret that I am unable to support H.R. 1510 as amended by the -House. While important modifications were adopted in regard to the needs of agriculture. which I hope will be retained in any HouseSenate conference. I do not believe that H.R. 1510. due to its amnesty provisions and lack of commitment to border enforcement. represents the solution to our Nations very difficult immigration problem.*