MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL

August 13, 2007

Immigrant measures stir hiring concerns

Some say federal moves are overdue

By GEORGIA PABST

Wisconsin's dairy farmers and others who employ large numbers of immigrant workers say they're greatly concerned about the impact a new crackdown on illegal immigration will have on their businesses.

While many who rely on immigrant labor to run their businesses say they're worried they'll lose workers, others welcome the new get-tough policy. U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R.-Menomonee Falls) praised the administration for clamping down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Sensenbrenner said in a prepared statement that the measures are similar to ones he had proposed in a failed immigration reform bill that raised penalties for businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

Last week Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced measures to strengthen border security, increase workplace raids, step up requirements on employers to show their workers have valid Social Security numbers and increase fines for employers who hire illegal immigrants.

In addition, the administration plans to expand ways state and local law enforcement officers can assist with immigration enforcement.

"They should have done this many years ago, and if they had there wouldn't have been this clamor for immigration reform," said Green Bay Ald. Chad Fradette, who authored the city's new ordinance prohibiting businesses that get city licenses or contracts from hiring illegal immigrants.

The new federal steps come just six weeks after the Senate failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

"The combination of increased raids with the increased use of the no-match Social Security letters will see business in Wisconsin severely impacted and people will be fired," said Enrique Figueroa, the head of the Working Group on Latino Immigrants in Rural Wisconsin, a new group consisting of farmers, extension agents and representatives from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, among others.

Figueroa, the director of the Roberto Hernandez Center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is also an agricultural economist.

John Rosenow, who operates the 1,000-acre Rosenholm-Wolfe Dairy farm in Buffalo County, helped start a program to bridge understanding between Wisconsin farmers and workers in Mexico. He's appeared on "Nightline" and testified before Congress in June about the need for immigration reform and immigrant workers in dairy and agriculture. Nine of his 19 employees are immigrants from Mexico, he said.

"I hope everyone who works for me is legal," said Rosenow. "I've got documents, but I don't know. I'm afraid they will come knocking at my door every day. I don't know what we would do," he said referring to the possible loss of workers for his business.

Employers are required to keep certain documents on file now, but are not required to independently verify a worker's legal status.

Social Security sends a no-match letter to an employer if the name or number listed on tax and wage statements does not match Social Security records. Under the new measures, an employer who gets a no-match letter may be held liable if the employer fails to take the specified steps within 90 days. Although the letters are fairly common, an employer also has to be careful about not discriminating, Rosenow said.

Tom Thiedling, spokesman for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, said Social Security no-match letters have had accuracy problems in the past and it often takes time for Social Security to follow up.

"We don't know the impact of all of this, but we fill find out," he said. "With the increased penalties they've just made the stick bigger. There's no carrot."

According to the 2002 census of agriculture, Wisconsin had 19,275 farms of all kinds with 73,403 workers. The Department of Labor estimates that more than half are foreign born, but it's not known how many of those don't have legal documents, he said.

Many immigrants also work in restaurants, hotels and construction around the state. Ed Lump, president and chief executive officer of the 7,000-member Wisconsin Restaurant Association, said the industry doesn't want to hire illegal immigrants and there should be consequences for employers who do.

"But we don't think the proper course is to put enforcement on the back of employers unless there's a reliable and timely validation system," Lump said. "Most restaurants today have immigrants working for them. We couldn't run the industry without them," he said.