05/23/07 Immigration bill debate underway

The immigration bill under consideration today in the US Senate is a mixed bag for agriculture. That's the opinion of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Its long, it's complicated and its controversial says Farm Bureau's Paul Schlegel. SCHLEGEL "We're going to continue to work to refine them and get the best bill that we can." Schlegel says agriculture has labor demands that have to be met and this legislation, through a visa program, would allow illegal immigrants to remain in the US and keep working for three to five years. SCHLEGEL "We're very happy the Senate is addressing that in a rational, practical, humane way. It's helpful to farmers. We want to make sure something like that stays in the bill." Senator Mike Crapo disagrees. He says this legislation is not the way to establish immigration policy. CRAPO "It will show that those who have illegally entered the country will gain a significant benefit from it in the end as Congress acts. And I continue to believe we must base our immigration policy on principles that do not encourage or give benefit to those who illegally entered the country." Idaho's Larry Craig has been a long time promoter of changes to the agricultural guest worker program and his AgJOBS provision is included in this immigration reform compromise. Some criticize that provision as nothing more than amnesty for undocumented workers. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott