The six-million-member American Farm Bureau Federation opposes the workforce regulation approved by the House Judiciary Committee. AFBF president Bob Stallman said the bill would drive away farm workers without providing a way to find replacements. Half or more of farm workers are undocumented. Stallman told reporters that a vote for the Legal Workforce Act, HR 1147, known as E-Verify, “is a vote to harm U.S. agriculture.” There is no commitment by House leaders to create a new guest worker program or to provide valid work status for undocumented laborers, he said.
“We have made it very clear that until those two issues are addressed, we will oppose mandatory” use of the E-Verify system, said Stallman. Without a reliable labor supply, he said, U.S. farm production would fall by $30-$60 billion and food prices would rise. “We don’t want an exemption. We want a real-world solution,” said Stallman. AFBF is part of a coalition that backs comprehensive immigration reform, including legal status for undocumented farm workers.
HR 1147 was approved, 20-13, by the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, and would require employers to use the digital E-Verify system to ensure job applicants are legally eligible to work in the United States. The bill would increase penalties for knowingly submitting false information. Judiciary chairman Bob Goodlatte said E-Verify “is a crucial component to the interior enforcement of our immigration laws.” House Republican leaders have said they will act on immigration piece by piece rather than write an omnibus bill.