[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 171 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 4, 2013

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I represent California's Central Coast--The 
Salad Bowl of the World. I know firsthand how important immigrant 
workers are and their vital contribution to our national economy.
  If America does not have enough workers, America doesn't eat. And 
whether or not we like it, most of those farm workers are not America 
citizens. We must rely on immigrant labor to harvest our food and, when 
the system breaks down like during the government shut down, it 
threatens the livelihood of our nation's farmers as well as the 
availability of fresh produce in grocery stores nationwide.
  The agricultural labor crisis threatens jobs on and off the farm. For 
every job created on a farm, many more non-farm support jobs are 
created in the supply chain of distribution. Yet California's farmers, 
who are responsible for billions of dollars of economic activity every 
year, continue to face significant barriers to finding a legal and 
stable workforce.
  Furthermore, the current, broken immigration system is undermining 
American food security. Many Americans would be surprised to know how 
close we all came to not having fresh fruits and vegetables at 
Thanksgiving because the shutdown prevented farmers from getting legal 
access to the workers they need to harvest their crops.
  For these reasons, as well as many others, I believe it is past time 
for the House of Representatives to act on broad and meaningful 
immigration reform.
  As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to enact immigration 
policies that are tough, fair and practical.
  Real immigration reform establishes a system that turns those who are 
willing to work hard and play by the rules into taxpayers, paying their 
fair share. We need a system that has commonsense rules for who and how 
many people we let in legally, so we don't flood the labor market in 
hard times, but that allows businesses to hire the workers they need.
  It is time to move forward, not backward. Congress must work together 
to find middle ground that benefits both the temporary guest workers as 
well as the agricultural employers. Final legislation must create 
incentives for farm workers to continue to work in the industry so that 
the United States can continue to feed the world. I believe in a 
comprehensive approach to immigration reform that includes earned legal 
status. This approach is critical for our country, our families, and 
our economy.
  I am concerned that some interim immigration reform proposals would 
create even more devastating labor shortages for growers and other 
industries that rely on immigrant labor. It is short-sighted to think 
mandatory worker verification methods, like E-Verify, are the sole 
solution to our country's illegal immigration issues. Further, we 
should not impose additional barriers to legal workers who are willing 
to work hard and play by the rules. It would risk the economic vitality 
of the entire American agricultural industry and fail to accomplish 
true immigration reform.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House toward the 
goal of enacting a comprehensive approach to our nation's immigration 
problems, including a strong and balanced solution for the agricultural 
sector.

                          ____________________