Stalled: Immigration Reform

Ag Secretary Says Opportunity for Legislation is Now

Chris Clayton
By  Chris Clayton , DTN Ag Policy Editor
Connect with Chris:
Phil Glaize grows apples on about 650 acres in Virginia and has been vocal in calling for immigration reform. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Apple Association)

OMAHA (DTN) -- Virginia apple grower Phil Glaize joined U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday in demanding Congress finish its work on immigration reform.

Glaize and his family have been in the apple-growing business for 70 years near Winchester, Va., and he has testified on Capitol Hill about the problems trying to find seasonal workers. Like a high percentage of fruit and vegetable growers, Glaize's main working season is harvest time, when he needs 115 workers for about two-and-a-half months. Another 50 employees work nine months of the year in the packinghouse and another 15 people are employed year-round. About 75% of all people who apply for jobs are Latino, Glaize said. He noted his farm does I-9 verification on all applicants, "However, my suspicion is that some of the workers are here illegally."

Glaize and Vilsack held a press call Monday as the Obama administration keeps pushing the House of Representatives to take up an immigration reform measure.

The secretary noted there was concern about bringing up a bill during the primary election season, but now that it is winding down, lawmakers may be more willing to move on immigration reform. He acknowledged, though, that the number of work days left in the congressional session is limited. The window for a more comprehensive bill also would close if Democrats lose the Senate this fall. That would give Republicans incentive to wait until next year and push for legislation that focuses more heavily on enforcement measures.

"There is no question the opportunity for immigration reform is now," Vilsack said.

The Senate passed an immigration-reform bill last summer that would legalize an estimated 11 million people and potentially put them on a pathway to citizenship. The bill also would create an expanded guest-worker program for agriculture to allow more people in the country and allow those workers to stay longer periods of time as well.

USDA's phone presser on immigration comes after House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, was quoted last week telling a local business group in Ohio that too many members of Congress are unwilling to take a tough vote on immigration reform. Boehner used a whining voice to emphasize his criticisms. "I've had every brick and bat and arrow shot at me over this issue just because I wanted to deal with it. I didn't say it was going to be easy," Boehner said in a Cincinnati Enquirer story.

P[L1] D[0x0] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]

Vilsack noted Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., have all stated their support recently for immigration reform. Yet, Republican leaders all back different variations of immigration legislation and all have drawn fire from conservative groups over those bills. The latest bill is called "ENLIST" and would allow undocumented people brought to the country as children to receive legal status after serving in the military.

House leaders are held back by a "small and ever-shrinking minority" of people who do not understand how critical immigration reform is to agriculture and the economy, Vilsack said.

Immigration reform is not on the House calendar laid out for this spring by Cantor. The House Judiciary Committee also has scaled back hearings or meetings about immigration since the end of last year. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., is focusing on other issues, such as holding hearings this week on the Origination Clause in the Constitution in relation to Obamacare.

If Glaize lost his farm workers because of an enforcement action, Glaize said he thinks his farm would suffer from chronic worker shortages in his packinghouse. "This would, of course, lead to the inability for us to sort and pack apples in a timely manner to support our customers' needs," Glaize said. "Then it's anybody's guess as to what would happen with the price of apples."

Even greater problems could happen if Glaize could not get skilled harvest workers at the right time when his apples are ripening. The uncertainty over farm labor has led Glaize to avoid expanding his orchard acreage, he said. Glaize noted apple production in Virginia has declined in recent years. The state produces about 5 million bushels of apples, which is about half of production levels a decade ago.

"We need Congress to do their job and come together now and pass immigration reform language that so many bipartisan groups have hashed out over the last few years," Glaize said.

Glaize's issues reflect just one story, but Vilsack noted farmers across the country are facing the same problems trying to ensure they have legal, steady labor.

"We know that producers are making plans to scale back and not expand their operations because of lack of immigration reform," Vilsack said. "We also know there are production efforts in the western parts of the United States that have moved their operations outside of the United States because of workforce issues."

Glaize said agricultural groups in Virginia have pushed Cantor and Goodlatte repeatedly on immigration. Glaize said he has been at odds with Goodlatte over the past few years on how to proceed with immigration reform.

"It appears to me from a guy on the outside looking in that there are a few people who have been holding it up, and yes, I do believe we have a majority of congressmen and senators ready to pass this," Glaize said.

Vilsack said it is "lame" for House members to say they don't agree with the Senate bill's provisions so they choose to not pass any legislation. Vilsack said the House could pass a series of smaller bills, but at the moment the House hasn't moved any legislation. Without a bill, there remains nothing to negotiate for any final resolution on immigration reform. Vilsack also dismissed arguments by Republicans that they do not trust the president to properly implement any law that Congress would pass.

"The notion that somehow people don't trust the president, all these phony, flimsy excuses -- take action. Then let's have a conversation," Vilsack said. "Let's sit down and let's work it out. That's the way the system is supposed to work."

Chris Clayton can be reached at chris.clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN.

(AG)

P[L2] D[728x90] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R1] D[300x250] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R2] D[300x250] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
DIM[1x3] LBL[] SEL[] IDX[] TMPL[standalone] T[]
P[R3] D[300x250] M[0x0] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]

Chris Clayton