Farmers Oppose Immigration Legislation
As the Indiana General Assembly tackles the issue of immigration, Indiana farmers call for a dependable migrant labor force. Senate Bill 590. which passed out of committee after a 4 hour hearing this week, would make it harder and more time consuming to hire migrant farm workers. Several Indiana farmers who use migrant labor testified against the legislation. Bob Kraft, with Indiana Farm Bureau, says IFB also opposes the legislation, “Agriculture, more than anyone in the hiring arena, needs to be able to hire a workforce when the crops are ready without going through a bureaucratic process.” Kraft said the legislation would require farmers to determine if there was anyone receiving unemployment compensation who wanted the job before they could hire a migrant worker, “When you need the work to be done, you need the work to be done, and by someone who knows how to do the job. Migrant workers fill that role.” He added if those migrant workers happen to be Hispanic, so be it.
Farm Bureau President Don Villwock joined a group of state and religious leaders this week in unveiling the Indiana Compact, ““We support the Indiana Compact as proposed. Congress needs to address comprehensive immigration reform so that the United States’ borders and its food production system are secure.” The compact is a series of 5 statements that deal with the issue of immigration, the first of which states that immigration is a issue for Washington to deal with, “Immigration is a federal policy issue between the U.S. government and other countries - not Indiana and other countries. We urge Indiana’s Congressional delegation, and others, to lead efforts to strengthen and reform federal laws. We recognize that border security is a critical element of national security, and further urge our Congressional representatives to work to protect the borders as part of a comprehensive immigration policy.”
http://www.hoosieragtoday.com/wire/news/00087_imigration_182905.php