Speech #1040192322

Even if the 25 percent of the seasonal labor force which is presently illegal were to magically disappear. there will still be no shortage. The U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. headed by the late Barbara Jordan. recently found that if the supply of illegal farm workers dried up tomorrow or if growers chose to stop hiring illegal workers. the supply of workauthorized farm workers is ample. even in peak harvest months. Let me talk about some of the specific problems with the PomboChambliss H2B program. This program would gut protections for guest workers and U.S. workers. It is an attestation program. The current H2A system is a certification program. Under a certification procedure. an employer has to prove to the Secretary of Labor that it has met certain conditions before the Secretary will permit the entry of an alien worker. With an attestation program. such as the one set up by PomboChambliss. there are no controls on the number of foreign workers a grower brings in until after the growing season is over.