Dairymen say immigration enforcement threatens farms

Targeting five Vermont dairy farms for audits of their employee documentation is creating extreme hardship for the farms involved and producing significant anxiety for farms throughout the Northeast, says John Mitchell, president of the Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance.
The farms are among 1,000 employers across the nation slated for documentation audits by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
When the initiative was announced on Nov. 19, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton said in a department news release that the targeted employers were selected for inspection “as a result of investigative leads and intelligence and because of the business’ connection to public safety and national security.”
Morton also said the effort was aimed at “finding and penalizing employers who believe they can unfairly get ahead by cultivating illegal workplaces.” Don’t include farmers in that group, Mitchell says in a letter to Vermont congressmen.
“The attitude demonstrated by ICE indicating unfair business advantages does not reflect the demeanor of dairy farms simply attempting to employ dependable workers. Farmers enthusiastically support efforts to increase access to properly documented labor,” Mitchell writes.
Farmers experience difficulty employing local labor to feed and milk their herds and care for young stock. These roles have been filled more and more by dependable employees from other countries.
“The proceedings by ICE are particularly disturbing in light of the current economic conditions experienced by dairy farmers. Protracted depressed milk prices are causing farmers high levels of stress. Concerns about access to employees and threatened legal actions could easily be the final blow leading a farm to go out of business. With the loss of farms, local residents will lose employment. Local input and service providers could also suffer due to decreased sales,” Mitchell states.
Farmers are eager to work with lawmakers to develop reform measures that will help them legally hire dependable and necessary foreign workers. The Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance supports provisions in the proposed AgJOBS Act of 2009 that would streamline the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program’s application process.
“Additionally, the steps to provide a reasonable mechanism for the most experienced, but unauthorized, agricultural workers to earn legal status are critical as well. If major reform is not possible, please consider targeted change to increase access by farmers to legal, dependable foreign workers,” Mitchell writes.
The Northeast Ag and Feed Alliance is a 300-member organization of feed manufacturers, dealers and suppliers throughout the Northeastern United States. This important sector of agribusiness provides the feed ingredients and products essential for a healthy, growing livestock industry.