Speech #990082746

It does meet the specific needs of an important element of our agricultural community. Growers of perishable crops throughout the Nation have traditionally relied heavily on foreign labor. We must face the reality that a large percentage of these workers are in the United States illegally and there is no guarantee that enough domestic workers will step forward to fill these jobs once illegal immigration is under control. Unlike producers of field grains who use mechanical harvesters. the perishable crop industry. which is comprised largely of small family farms. Is labor intensive and a large number of workers is required to harvest the crops. Fruit and vegetable harvesting is physically demanding. unpleasant work. and even at reasonably high wages. the industry has not attracted sufficient number of domestic workers. If the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1985 is to establish a realistic and workable immigration policy. it must not force farmers to choose between hiring illegal workers and losing their crops. The choice should be between hiring domestic workers If available and. if not. hiring legalized foreign workers in a program that meets the needs of the perishable grower and provides protections for both foreign and domestic workers. The H2 worker program included in S. 1200 is simply not usable for the thousands of farmers involved in many kinds of perishable agricultural production.