DETROIT NEWS

March 17, 2006

Mich. farmers push for guest worker provision

By Deb Price / The Detroit News

WASHINGTON -- More than 100 Michigan farmers urged Congress Thursday to include a guest worker provision in its border security legislation, warning that $270 million a year could be lost if agricultural laborers aren't available to harvest cherries, blueberries and other crops.

“This is a huge issue for Michigan farmers," said Michigan Farm Bureau lobbyist Megan Wheaton. "Without a workable guest worker program for agriculture, countries like China, which pay extremely low wages, will step in and replace the American farmer. Once that production is gone, it is gone forever."

Michigan farmers warn that the state, rapidly losing manufacturing jobs, can't afford to deal with an upheaval in agriculture, which is the state's second largest industry.

The farmers asked the state's congressional delegation to permanently repeal the estate tax, reduce energy costs, and oppose President Bush's plan to cut farm subsidies.

But their top issue is to get the hotly contested guest worker provision for agricultural workers added to a border security and immigration bill before Congress.

The House passed its immigration bill in December without a guest worker provision, a contentious issue that divides Republicans and Democrats alike. The Senate, viewed as likely to include the provision, could vote in the next few weeks.

Bush and allies favor updating the guest worker program to increase the number of visas granted for legal migrant workers but to also deal with the estimated 10.3 million illegal aliens living in the United States. They argue that these migrant workers are doing essential jobs that most Americans won't do.

Backers want to give illegal aliens temporary work visas so they can stay in the United States legally for four to six years before being required to return home.

"This isn't granting (illegal aliens) permanent legal residency unless they get into the queue with everyone else," said Rep. Joe Schwarz, R-Battle Creek, who is on the House Agriculture Committee. But critics respond that lawbreaking would be rewarded in a step ultimately leading to amnesty.

Michigan farmers say their nightmare would be for Congress to pass an immigration overhaul that chokes off the worker supply.

Only about 30,000 workers enter on H2a worker visas at the request of U.S. farmers, lobbyist Wheaton said. But 1 million seasonal workers are needed on U.S. farms. On Michigan's 52,000 farms alone, about 68,821 seasonal workers are employed each year.