Georgia farmers want their voices heard in the debate over illegal immigration.
Many farmers are worried that local crackdowns on illegal immigrants will drive away needed workers. Some say Mexicans are the only ones who will work in the fields. They say crops are rotting in the fields while would-be legal workers are stuck abroad waiting for their visas. Some smaller farmers say they can’t afford the fees for the federal H-2 visa program that brings laborers into the country to work legally.
The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that at least half of the nation's 1-million hired farm workers are illegal workers. Some immigration control groups contend that for every illegal worker, there's an unemployed American who could just as quickly fill the spot.
Many farmers are worried that local crackdowns on illegal immigrants will drive away needed workers. Some say Mexicans are the only ones who will work in the fields. They say crops are rotting in the fields while would-be legal workers are stuck abroad waiting for their visas. Some smaller farmers say they can’t afford the fees for the federal H-2 visa program that brings laborers into the country to work legally.
The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that at least half of the nation's 1-million hired farm workers are illegal workers. Some immigration control groups contend that for every illegal worker, there's an unemployed American who could just as quickly fill the spot.
