In this particular amendment. we are trying to say that tnis will not occur and that comes even before the foreign workers are admitted. So I think the amendmentand I say this as precisely as I canI think that what the amendment does really is legalize the status quo of illegal labor in agriculture. In my opinion. that is not immigration reform. because I do not believe that simply by referring to every illegal alien as legal that that constitutes immigration reform. This seasonal program is exceedingly broad. I hear the Senator referring to it and I am very pleased to hear this because I gather that part of this proposal is an amendment to correct what I saw and did foresee as a glaring weakness. because the seasonal program here. as originally proposed. was extraordinarily broad. It not only provided for harvest labor. it provided also work in handling. planting. drying. packing. packaging. freezing. storing. and delivering to market. And I submit to you that those jobs. even if you want to fall for the argumentmany dothat these people all do work that no U.S. citizen will ever do. I can tell you that U.S. citizens are the ones that write me the letters about immigration reform. Many of them are U.S. American Hispanic citizens of the United States who write me those letters and say. "What are you going to do about this situation? I am the one most directly affected. It is me and my family that are most affected by illegal. undocumented persons. I am a U.S. citizen. a minority. but a U.S. citizen." I can assure youand I appreciate the Senators sensitivity to thisthat those jobs that I have described indeed are clamored for by U.S. citizens. Those jobs in drying. and packing. and packaging. and processing. and freezing. and storing. and delivering to market.
Identified stereotypes
The generalization that foreign workers will take jobs that U.S. citizens will not do.