Three years from now. the need for harvest labor in fruits and other fresh produce will not be any less than it is today. I suppose it is possible that some magic. new machine might be invested which would do the job automatically and easily and without any significant amount of labor. but it is unlikely that that will take place. This amendment does not seek to sunset the entire Immigration Reform and Control Act in 3 years. which would of course result in a reconsideration of this issue. but only one part of it. with considerably less than 3 years of experience. as the Senator from California has pointed out. I believe that the political process has worked well in this debate. It is quite clear that if the growers had their way. the amendment with which we were dealing yesterday and are dealing with today would have been written quite differentlywithout a cap. perhaps without a number of the other limitations it contains. But the objections of the Senator from Illinois and the Senator from California. not to mention the Senator from Wyoming. have been met to the maximum possible extent in a numerical employment which is relatively low. much lower than the number of illegal immigrants now engaged in this kind of business. and in a series of protections for people who will be permitted to come into the United States and engage in these harvest activities when that permission is granted- a set of requirements or restrictions which will greatly increase the quality of their working conditions and the method of their treatment. and. of even greater importance. the requirement that this program is subsidiary to the rights and opportunities of citizens of the United States who may wish to engage in this activity. either permanently or on a temporary basis. It seems to me that we have crafted a thoughtful and reasonable approach to a very real problem. Mr.
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Immigration illegal immigrants