03/28/06 Immigration debate in the US Senate

The contentious debate in the US Senate this week will center on immigration and what to do with the estimated 11 to twelve million people who are in this country illegally. What form this legislation will take is uncertain today because there are several proposals on the table. American Farm Bureau's Paul Schlegel says agricultural needs have to be considered. SCHLEGEL "It is critical for us that we have the ability to harvest out crops, to get them in the field and make a decent living." Schlegel says to ignore American agriculture in immigration reform legislation could have serious repercussions. SCHLEGEL "Right now in agriculture about one third of all of our labor is hired and of that one third a very large portion is undocumented. So we cannot afford to lose that hired labor." Schlegel says any legislation has to have an updated guest worker program and should allow workers already here to remain on the job. SCHLEGEL "You could see as a result a loss in the fruit and vegetable sector along of between five and nine billion a year. In the rest of the farm sector you'll see a net loss in income of 1.5 to five billion." Two weeks of debate begins in the Senate today, we'll keep you updated. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott