US Lets in More Immigrants for Farms

Despite earlier promises about strict enforcement of immigration laws, the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Labor are reportedly easing policies to welcome more immigrant workers ready to harvest tomatoes, fruit and other crops before they rot. The US refuses to release details, but farmers clamor for more workers, claiming that citizens have no interest in joining the harvest. Increased enforcement efforts have reduced the number of planters, pickers and even managers in the agriculture industry, reports the Los Angeles Times. Currently, the nation imposes no cap on temporary farm workers, who can stay in the country for 10 months, but farmers describe the program, with its many worker protections, as bureaucratic, slow and expensive, reports journalist Nicole Gaouette. Farmers insist that meat, poultry and other food-processing plants also require immigrant labor. About 75 percent of labor in the US agriculture industry is illegal, some reports suggest. Without immigrant labor, farmers warn the nation’s food supply will stall and costs will leap. – YaleGlobal