There Is No One To Work The Fields
Dec 27, 2012
Miami, FL (Law Firm Newswire) December 26, 2012 – This is a recurrent theme that will not go away anytime soon. Thank ICE raids for the labor shortage.
“Now that the election is over, will the ICE raids continue? Chances are they will and the results of those raids will drastically affect the U.S. agricultural sector. There is just about no one left to work the fields. Americans certainly aren’t, despite their cries that undocumented workers are taking their jobs away from them. If they wanted those jobs, they would be out there working. They are not,” pointed out Larry S. Rifkin, a Miami immigration lawyer and managing partner at Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff, with law offices in Miami, Florida and Orlando, Florida.
The American Farm Bureau Federation is warning the nation that the deportation raids are costing the U.S. economy somewhere between $5 billion and $9 billion. Those states that rely just about completely on illegal labor to plant and harvest do not have the hands on deck to work the fields. “We can’t just blame ICE raids for this soon to be dire situation,” added Rifkin, “as the economy is another stumbling block, not to mention a burgeoning job market in Mexico. Throw in tougher border enforcement and the flow of immigrants from Mexico to the U.S. has all but dried up.”
Some view this situation as good news that the illegal immigrant flow is dropping, drastically. However, if farmers are not able to recruit enough documented workers to pick the crops, even upon agreeing to pay the minimum wage, there goes an argument against a guest-worker program.
Immigration reform has been stonewalled for years with politicians insisting that such a program would mean amnesty for workers breaking the law. They insisted that if there were fewer illegals, Americans would find jobs. So far, Americans may find that there are jobs in the agricultural sector to be had, but they are not interested in the low wages and hard work. And that is the Catch-22.
Will this issue be dealt with during the next four years? Or will the nation find itself facing a food shortage and discover that what there is in stores is way more expensive than it used to be? “It’s time to do something to fix this. Let’s see what the government comes up with this time,” suggested Rifkin.
To learn more or to contact an Orlando immigration attorney or Miami immigration attorney, visit http://www.rifkinfox.com.
Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff, P.A.
1110 Brickell Avenue
Suite 210
Miami, Florida 33131
Toll Free: (866) 681-0202
