Stephen Colbert Testifies Before Congress on "Vast Experience" as a Migrant Laborer

UPDATED: 2:24 pm ET

Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in character this morning, speaking on the topic of working in America's fields.

Colbert, testifying next to the president of the United Farm Workers (UFW), discussed his "vast experience spending one day as a migrant farm worker," adding that he was "happy to use [his] celebrity to draw attention to this important, complicated issue." (Watch at left.)

"I certainly hope that my star power can bump this hearing all the way up to C-Span 1," Colbert joked.

The comedian was one of 16 people to participate in the UFW "Take Our Jobs" campaign, which was launched this summer as a challenge to U.S. citizens to replace immigrants in farm work. (He turned the experience into a segment for his show, Comedy Central's "Colbert Report," where he stars as a mock-conservative news anchor whose mission is to get to the "truthiness" of the news.)

Colbert said of the experience, "I have to say, and I do mean this sincerely, please don't make me do this again. It is really, really hard."

Colbert appeared amid a swarm of photographers, listened to behavioral directives from the committee's Chairwoman Zoe Longfren (who warned the audience that "if necessary, the Capitol police are here"), and brought the committee levels of media coverage that the committee hadn't seen "maybe since impeachment," as Longfren commented. He delivered remarks that maintained his mocking public persona while shading into serious arguments for the rights of migrant workers.

"I don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American. And sliced by a Guatemalan, and served by a Venezuelan, in a spa, where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian," Colbert said at one point.

Stephen Colbert during his testimony on Friday morning

/ CBS

He added: "As you heard this morning, America's farms are presently far too dependent on immigrant labor to pick our fruits and vegetables...The obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables. And if you look at the recent obesity statistics, you'll see that many Americans have already started." He went on to ask that a video of his colonoscopy be submitted to the Congressional record.

Colbert, whose statement bore almost no resemblance to the "prepared remarks" released beforehand, went on to talk seriously about the plight of laborers in America, saying that "migrant workers suffer and have no rights."

"I like talking about people who don't have any power," Colbert said, appearing to break character, when asked why he decided to take on the issue. "It seems like some of the least powerful people in the United States are migrant workers who come and do our work, but don't have any rights as a result. And yet we still invite them to come here and at the same time ask them to leave. And that's an interesting contradiction to me."

But while most of the Congress members present seemed pleased with Colbert's appearance before the committee - which potentially brought more national attention to the cause than it might have otherwise received - not everyone was laughing along with his jokes. "I think [inviting Colbert to testify] was a mistake," Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen told The Hill. "Picking vegetables for 10 hours doesn't make you an expert in anything, except how unpleasant it is to pick vegetables for 10 hours. I think using an actor in character to give testimony makes a mockery of the committee process."

Rep. John Conyers asked Colbert during the hearing to recuse himself from the committee and submit his statement instead, saying that "you run your show, we run the committee," though he later retracted the request. (Watch below.)

Steve King, the conservative ranking Republican on the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, also took issue with Colbert's presence. "Maybe amnesty supporters should spend less time watching Comedy Central and more time considering all the real jobs that are out there that require hard labor and don't involve sitting behind a desk," he said during the hearing. "If they did, they would realize that every day American workers perform the dirtiest, most difficult, most dangerous jobs that can be thrown at them."

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who sits on the immigration subcommittee, called the ordeal a "joke" on CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged" today.

"He's the best fake newscaster there is so if they're going to have a fake hearing, I guess he's the guy to do it," Chaffetz said. "It's just unfortunate I've sponsored close to a dozen bills that deal seriously with immigration and none of them have been brought up for discussion. None."

  Watch the full episode of "Washington Unplugged" below:

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Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[thickredhair]

Some call it inappropriate, even democrats, well why aren't they up there, why is it taking a comedian to get any attention on the subject... why is it no other democrats haven't volunteered to work as a migrant worker for a day?

[dinomom]

The real joke is the Congress, who hold meeting after meeting and don't do anything to change the situation. They also have no sense of irony, it would seem. Colbert spent his day in the fields so he could highlight the situation on his show. He made it abundantly clear that people in the U.S. do not want those jobs, except he did it with tongue in cheek, something that Congress doesn't seem to understand. He stands completely with the migrant workers and the hard work they do, but he uses his "Stephen" character to do so. He made more sense than the people in Congress who criticized him, and he made more of an impact with the tape on his show than any of these people will likely do before elections, as they are paralyzed with fear to do anything about anything. I'm disgusted with almost all of them!

[JayAdler1]

A Stanley Kramer movie in 1963 that I saw at the Riverside theater on 96 Street and Broadway as a kid put this whole Colbert thing in perspective. It was entitled It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and it featured perhaps 20 of the real deal iconic comedians like Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett , Johnathan Winters, Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, Phil Silvers, Sid Caesar and many more. The movie was about this convoluted chase taken up by all of these comedians to find a bag of money in the desert that nobody originally knew the location of. With these protagonists you can imagine the chaotic confusion that ensued. As a critic I will tell you that any of these comedians could eat Mr. Colbert's lunch when it comes to comedy. There is symbolism here, much like Moby Dick. Colbert and the forces that caused all of this to happen and this movie are sort of like the meaning behind the Theater of the Absurd ie, Waiting for Godot. Did you know that that era in American playwriting had an underlying theme that was the belief that World War two was caused by an unraveled and unrestrained world.I say no more.

[JayAdler1]

First of all, I think that Chris Rock would have been a better person to call in because at least he would have given Congress the skinny from the street up.When I want to go night clubbing I will shoot down to Atlantic City to see Jay Leno. This is Congress not the Copa. At one point the Representatives were not even sure if Colbert should stay and finish the bit. Another thing, Colbert is not the type of individual to parade in front of Congress and the American people suffering in a recession. He is too preppy and Yaley and well heeled and probably super wealthy which just depresses the legions of impoverished among us. I'd also go for George Lopez over Colbert. George is a street wise Latino who could have worked that day and identify with his co-workers much more fluidly.

[dwiseriver]

Do young people do part time jobs anymore, especially in the summer? When I was a kid, I made alot of money doing partime work. It was all unskilled labor, don't remember any mexicans doing this. Is this part of what is going on? The kids can't work or are too lazy to work, what is going on there? Even during school I was able to work part time in the evenings and on the weekend. I had my own car, could pay for gas and just about anything I wanted. Why are the farmers and home owners depending on mexical labor?

[franKa58]

Much of the reporting I've seen did not even mention that Colbert went out of character and answered sincerely at the end. No mention of it whatsoever. It's like in old movies where the reporters get the SCOOP and go running out to post their stories without listening to the whole thing. They had the story written in their heads already - didn't want anything to disturb the narrative. BAD reporting.

[iocor]

I lost confidence in congress decades ago when, during a hearing on health care, they called to testify the famous medical examiner Dr. Quincy (Jack Klugman.

[enaid3]

I don't find it funny, that Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif had a comedian go before Congress to bear witness to the illegal farm workers plight. This Jackass Colbert spent one day in the field and certainly doesn't know what it's like to do this job for a living. (his hand is probably still tired!) Still doesn't give the foreigners any right to living here in America illegally to reap the benefits that the U.S.taxpayers pay for. Our ancestors had to earn their rights to become American citizens. No one gave them any welfare, free food, free housing, free medical, etc. THESE ILLEGALS NEED TO BE SENT PACKING.

[WhoItBe]

makes each piece of vegetable and fruit pretty damn expensive. I say if the farmers want these workers then they pay every red cent for them. I can grow my own.

[abbe91]

I like it. The last time a comedian/actor did something about immigration was in 1986.

[katiel2588]

Its like "the news" just recycles people's perceptions of an event (like Colbert appearing before Congress) instead of looking at it themselves and reporting on actually what went on and what he said! How difficult is it to take things first hand? I thought that is what "the news" is for! Why do they have to approach every story with a preconcieved story line, eg, bad guy/good guy. Its immature thinking and is bringing down everyone's ability to digest current events.