After a federal crackdown on undocumented workers, Vermont dairy farmer Clement Gervais said, after a federal crackdown, that he believed three illegal workers he hired had proper documentation, the Associated Press reported. Although Gervais said his farm has been cleared, four other cases involving Vermont farms are still pending. Businesses that knowingly hire unauthorized workers can face fines or criminal charges, although Gervais said it is often difficult to know if documentation is fraudulent. Gervais said he hopes dairy farmers will be allowed to hire workers under a temporary worker visa program, as the crackdown has shaken up dairies struggling to fill milking jobs by relying on foreign farm workers. Dairy farms are not eligible to hire workers under the current temporary visa worker program used by crop farmers because their business is year-round.

(Associated Press, March 15, 2010)

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