Farms Struggle With Immigration Crackdown

Loss Of Immigrant Labor Could Shutter Family Farms In New York

(CBS)  Jim Zappala of Zappala Farms says the federal crackdown on illegal immigrant workers is killing his business - right in the middle of harvest.

His onion farm in western New York has been targeted by immigration officials twice in just six months.

Some workers have been deported - others are too scared to return, CBS News correspondent Seth Doane reports.

"To lose this crop of approximately 3.5 million onions - due to the lack of labor - is just gonna to be a terrible situation," Zappala said.

Now, onions that should have been harvested weeks ago just sit in the field.

A lot of people would say if Zappala paid more money he could get Americans to do these jobs.

“I don't think there is any amount of money that we could pay to get workers in to hand clip these onions, or help with the field work,” Zappala said.

And, it's not just the Zappala's farm. Advocacy groups say across New York State the very survival of hundreds of farms could be at risk. And nationally, up to $9 billion dollars could be lost annually if farmers don't get the labor force they need.

Some 8,000 temporary workers are needed this fall to pick, by hand, three billion apples.

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Couric & Co. Blog: "Laborers Are Petrified."

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At Stone Ridge Orchard in the Hudson Valley, grower Mike Biltonen said it's harder this season to get the 12 migrant workers he needs to stay in business. In the past, the government has just looked the other way.

Aren’t there laws on the books to be enforced?

"There are - they’re intended to be enforced. I think they haven’t been in the past because there has been a recognized problem," he said.

Biltonen said enforcing the current laws will only force operations underground, out of the country, or out of business altogether.

[tnt1954]

have the wall street wizards pick the food.
they love ''lettuce''. if new york city wants
to eat, then have them come and pick it. getting
hungry? or have all the bureaucrats pick it.
they always demand big food binges. or have
all the millions on welfare pick it. they like
living off the fat of the land. i''m sure the
us senate will send a representative out to
have a photo op of him in overalls, harvesting
one onion. actually bending over. like when
they break ground on a new 300 story building
to be built by mohawk indians. you make, they
take. ship all the food to africa for gold
and diamonds, to those poor starving people
there. they might come over and help you.

[lorinkundert]

The simple solution for those crybabies is to stop hiring criminals and assisting them in those crimes.

[damoore4]

if the american people will not harvest the apples and onions in new york,,,,,,,why not let the govornment supported people or the prisoners harvest them??? and have the farmer pay the state or the prison system what he would have paid the migrant workers,,,,,,, sounds to me like, the products would be harvested and go on the shelves in the markets,the state or prison systems would make additional money for thier budgets, the govornment supported people or prisoners would be earning some of thier money, and we the consumer would pay a fair price at the market. sounds like good business,to me!!!

[lochlan-2009]

Is this story suppose to be convincing me that Americans shouldn''t be doing these jobs and an illegal immigrant should. If the cost of produce goes up, it''s going back to it''s correct cost for that kind of labor in America. You can outsource almost anybody''s job for illegaly cheap, sweat shop labor. The underlieing problem is that the ethics of the people in top positions has turned greedy, and they feel that this company that their employees built for them, belongs to them, and they have no obligation to loyalty to them. Especially considering, taking the money and cutting these employees (or replacing them) is so much more profitable for themselves.

[mattcbsmatt]

Usual pro illegal immigration from Mexico *** sucking : )
Why is this???????????

[Krazcarl]

This is true have worked in the orchards full of illegals and excons but to be honest the noney is fair but the work hard, but if your willing to work there''s money to be made this one of the first illegal hangouts trying to get a stasch of cash to get an apartment and hide the owners know and don''t care because of the cheap wages you get so much a bushel and when your hungry and broke you pich a lot mit of the illegalls put there women to work they have no pride. This is why Bush lets it happen the rich can get richer of someone elses sweat. That''s why all this allowed profit yes you may save a quater on a quart of sause but to tell you the truth it''s you that makes it happen to save a quarter on sause don''t blame Bush blame yourself, Worked therew know whats going on. The funny thing is if the people stood up and said no an paid that extra 25 cents there would be no illegal problem but you want to save a buck and b*tch the solution is easy and I''m not a rocket scientist.

[likeitis5050]

blah blah blah. In another story a federal judge ruled in favor of the ACLU''s argument against fining businesses who can''t validate workers'' social security numbers so they won''t be punished for knowingly hiring illegals. SS # validation sites have been accessible to employers for some time now but employers have ignored them. Now they want time to get their s*it together. Tough. These businesses (farmers, as well) who let it be known they would hire illegals are the reason the 12+ million illegal immigrants get more favors and benefits than the actual Americans and legal immigrants here. Choices have consequences. No one dragged the illegal here...they came of their own accord...with the blessings of their president courtesy of maps, water, and first aid kits. Prices are going up because of fuel prices, so how long will it be before the price increases are blamed on ''no one to do the job''? blah blah blah.

[bhappy2-2]

We DO NOT NEED these ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS. We need to GET RID OF THEM ALL. We can start by having our OWN protest marches and Burning the MEXICAN FLAG like David Bohmfalk. He burned a MEXICAN FLAG in front of the ALAMO! Read about it HERE: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/180
He is a TRUE AMERICAN! Apparently, he does not want to live in NORTH MEXICO either!

[mcvet]

have the wall street wizards pick the food.
they love ''''lettuce''''. if new york city wants
to eat, then have them come and pick it. getting
hungry? or have all the bureaucrats pick it.
they always demand big food binges. or have
all the millions on welfare pick it. they like
living off the fat of the land. i''''m sure the
us senate will send a representative out to
have a photo op of him in overalls, harvesting
one onion. actually bending over. like when
they break ground on a new 300 story building
to be built by mohawk indians. you make, they
take. ship all the food to africa for gold
and diamonds, to those poor starving people
there. they might come over and help you.

Posted by snidegrass at 06:58 PM : Oct 10, 2007
+ report abuse

Where do people like this come from? I certainly hope Al Qaeda doesn''t start recruiting in Mexico. If they do they can use this simple minded Nazi as the poster Child. I don''t know what makes these people so hate filled and so afraid. Whatever it is though you had better get over it and soon. We have to work out a solution to this problem that does NOT discriminate against AMERICAN Citizens who you can NOT tell the difference with an Illigal. We CAN NOT, we must NOT resort to the bigotry these people are famous for... we just can not do that, not NOW!! Sieg Heil Bush!!

[Krazcarl]

Mcvet...Snidegrass is a blithering idoit only the last 3 letters is correct. He''s on drugs or wish he was he in his own demented mid thinks hes intellegent and above the rest of us so rambles in attempt to make us look inferiour, but the again he could be mental pt. on leave but yes he''s annoying and he knows it that''s why he does it he''s to stupid to have an opinion so he rambles like whispyeyes because he is mentaly handycapped but thinks hes intelligent and wre stupid I saw something in my underware that reminded me of him yesterday,,,Just a ignorant troll,

[snoopdog04]

Immigration,

All of a sudden the Government is making a grandstand on immigration. Homeland security decided do to away with illegal immigration forcing the farmers go out of business due to the fact that they have no one to tend the fields. As em employee of a manufacturing company here in Hendersonville , I saw it
perpetuate for the last 4 years. There are many illegal immigrants that do a good job and the company would go out of business without them.
There where letters from the Social Security Administration every year stating that our employees Social Security numbers we had did not match
the names of the people that where reported on the tax forms. Employees used several different social
security numbers. The Owner would say " We have to let them do this or we would go out of business without them". But the Social Security administration
never investigated anything. I want to ask how come they are only hitting the farmers when there are
allot of Construction companies here in the South that do the same thing. On the news it was reported that the Business owners would be arrested and they would have to fire their employees who are illegal. Is this going on because there are allot of American companies moving to Mexico and they need workers?
I thought I would ad a little humor. This is only going to hurt the Americans unfortunately. Make us spend more money on produce.

Samatha Smith

[hwy71so]

If the absence of illegal ALIENS is hurting their business they should''ve considered that BEFORE they started relying on illegal ALIENS for their production.

Shut the borders down and make them go through the PROPER process to gain entry.

I have no sympathy. My wife immigrated here LEGALLY and they can too. We went through the whole process, paid ALL the fees and now she''s a U.S. CITIZEN. And guess what. When we brought her parents over? We went through the INS the LEGAL way just the same as with my wife.

Hasta La Vista amigos.

Ol'' Jim Zapalla should get a stiff fine for his abetting criminals too.

[snoopdog04]

Immigration,

All of a sudden the Government is making a grandstand on immigration. Homeland security decided do to away with illegal immigration forcing the farmers go out of business due to the fact that they have no one to tend the fields. As em employee of a manufacturing company here in Hendersonville , I saw it
perpetuate for the last 4 years. There are many illegal immigrants that do a good job and the company would go out of business without them.
There where letters from the Social Security Administration every year stating that our employees Social Security numbers we had did not match
the names of the people that where reported on the tax forms. Employees used several different social
security numbers. The Owner would say " We have to let them do this or we would go out of business without them". But the Social Security administration
never investigated anything. I want to ask how come they are only hitting the farmers when there are
allot of Construction companies here in the South that do the same thing. On the news it was reported that the Business owners would be arrested and they would have to fire their employees who are illegal. Is this going on because there are allot of American companies moving to Mexico and they need workers?
I thought I would ad a little humor. This is only going to hurt the Americans unfortunately. Make us spend more money on produce.

Samatha Smith

[hwy71so]

Also, there''s sure a lot of vagrants that could use the job.

[frankinaz]

With the prison populations of states ever-increasing, why can''t prisoners work as laborers in farms? Let them earn their keep, and for the least violent offenders, let them work some of their sentences off. This country needs to control the number of immigrants, especially the illegal ones, before they overwhelm and overrun the limited resources of this country-They are have in many parts of the Southwest.

[snoopdog04]

I worked for one of the largest Concrete Wall companies here in Western North Carolina and we had Mexicans come in and restart there employment using a different name and social security number all the time. The Owner well aware said that they would go out of business if they did not have these Mexicans. The money was fair and the work was extremely hard. We could constantly get letters from the Social security Administration saying that our employee names do not match the social security number we reported on the tax forms. Of course this would go on for years and the Social Security Department let it go on without investigating the problem. Now homelands security all of a sudden wants to get rid of the illegal workers. THis would ruin this construction company.
The company was aware of the illegals I do not believe the South will go after the Southern companies. I would be very surprised if they hit other companies besides the farmers. They are an easy target.

[donbl1]

Where is Dubya''s guest worker program when we need it..... Oh yeah, the Congress killed it "bilaterally".......

Seriously, not just farms are hurting. Service organizations in the SW are having trouble finding staff and it is starting to show.

[drivelphobe]

I say tough! These farmers can arrange to get legal pickers through various means. If they''ll pay a decent wage, they can get American labor. The American citizens will gladly pay more for produce if it means farmers will hire Americans and pay a proper wage.

Look at Starbucks. A large cup of black coffee costs $1.95, and people are lined up to buy it. Most drinks are much more expensive. Starbucks provides benefits to its employees and they don''t hire illegals.

If it is going to cost farmers too much for labor, then the business model is wrong. Perhaps technology can provide some answers. It certainly isn''t correct to think that an industry can only make it if it must use illegal employees at slave wages.

Illegals have to be deported and our borders need to be closed. Enough of this garbage. Does anybody really think it makes any difference if we pay $5.00 for a head of lettuce? Gas prices more than doubled and everyone drives like crazy and keeps buying Suburbans. The farmers want to make more money and instesd of just charging more for thier product, they want to screw the American people by using illegals. I say again, tough! Go get another job if the farming is too much for you.

[wordamus]

Yeah, the farmers are suffering.

But I have to tell you I have a search set in Google to email news about Illegals. You could fill a blog with just the stories I get. Murder, muggings, prostitution, etc, etc. Worse yet, the bad boys come up and treat the USA as a wild west play ground. And when we hear about them on the news these guys have "rap Sheet" long as your arm. Why? What are we going to do to them...throw them out. Yeah, right. They come back again and again and again. Then they get back here, they just do more of the same.

Enough. I feel sorry for the farmers. But throw all of the illegals out, control the border and start legal immigration again and do it the right way...sanely.

[brianbwb-2009]

So let us also let the crack houses continue, because arresting the operation would "put the owners out of business".

If a business does not produce income for Americans, pays no taxes, provides no health coverage for its'' workers, contributes to unemployment, and produces no benefit other than increased profit for a select few owners, then such business is a drain, rather than an asset to society.

It is past time to put to rest the old neocon excuse for slavery that goes "illegals do jobs the Americans won''t do", and replace it with the truth, "illegals work for subhuman wages no American can afford".

The basic rule of capitalism, "if you can''t afford it, then you can''t have it" should apply to all if it applies to any, this includes it''s richest practitioners, and the Government that perpetuates it.

[middleman8]

If Bush ever starts doing the right thing,
he would order the troops into the onion fields instead of into foreign countries.

[tbweb]

There are many legal immigrants who can do this same work. This idea that only illegal immigrants can do this work is weak! The real problem is businesses do not want to pay a living minimum wage, the real problem is businesses want to exploit the disenfranchised! Paying a minimum wage will even attract American workers. I would be willing to pay extra for farm products so that everyone who works there can enjoy a decent living wage, most Americans would as well.

[nativewoman]

Paying a minimum wage will even attract American workers...Posted by tbweb at 01:54 AM : Oct 11, 2007

Picking crops is backbreaking, hot, dirty work. The promise of a minimum wage is hardly going to draw a large work force of pampered United States citizens.

Federal Minimum wage is currently $5.85/hour to rise to a whopping $6.55/hour in 2008 and to the staggering rate of $7.25/hour in 2009.

Florida''s minimum wage is $6.67 per hour.

The minimum wage in California is $7.50 per hour to climb into the stratosphere at $8.00 per hour in January 2008. Of course, the cost of living in California also reaches the stratosphere.

Somehow I just cannot envision the United States labor force of tomorrow, or today for that matter, - the labor force that was raised on air conditioning, potato chips, cupcakes, burgers and fries, tv, computers and all the gee whiz expensive toys provided by mommie and daddy - joyously running into the fields to pick crops at even the higher minimum wage of $8.00 per hour. That wouldn''t pay their monthly junk food bill!

Do you genuinely believe droves of United States workers are going to flock to the hardest work they''ve ever even contemplated for $8.00 an hour?

Dream on!

[ontheleft]

Please don''t tell me Americans can''t do the work. Teenagers in Connecticut used to pick the tobacco crop and it was a common summer job because the teenagers couldn''t find much else. If you can''t find teenagers or other legal workers to do the work and still make a profit, then you need to find a more profitable crop, or move your farm down to Mexico.

[keithle1]

ontheleft: "Please don''''t tell me Americans can''''t do the work. Teenagers in Connecticut used to pick the tobacco crop and it was a common summer job because the teenagers couldn''''t find much else."

They CAN do it. Sure. If Americans wanted to do it, they would be doing it. They don''t want to do it. Even unemployed Americans don''t want to do farm/agricultural work. And certainly not for the
pay that these folks are working for.

Teenagers in Connecticut picking tobacco? White teenagers? How long ago was that? Are they doing it now?

Native Woman: "Do you genuinely believe droves of United States workers are going to flock to the hardest work they''''ve ever even contemplated for $8.00 an hour?

Dream on!"

[slim1h2o]

Somehow I just cannot envision the United States labor force of tomorrow, or today for that matter, - the labor force that was raised on air conditioning, potato chips, cupcakes, burgers and fries, tv, computers and all the gee whiz expensive toys provided by mommie and daddy - joyously running into the fields to pick crops at even the higher minimum wage of $8.00 per hour. That wouldn''''t pay their monthly junk food bill


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by NativeWoman at 04:21 AM : Oct 11, 2007

That''s some of our problems today. If Mommy and Daddy would do their jobs raising their kids, they would get of that couch. These people (30) and younger, have no respect and no responsiblities. I''ve worked with these younger generation, they''re awful to work with. Can''t/won''t keep up. Which in turn, us older workers had to work that much harder, to produce the same amount of work. And when I complained about the situation, well might as well been talking to a brick wall. No wonder, we have this immigration problem.

[hwy71so]

If Bush ever starts doing the right thing,
he would order the troops into the onion fields instead of into foreign countries.

Posted by middleman8 at 12:40 AM : Oct 11, 2007

THIS has got to be the most moronic statement posted yet. Our troops are organized for our defense, not for pulling weeds.

I say take all those people you see standing at the intersections, all those morons that call your house all day trying to get you to contribute to the sheriff''s organization, etc and put them to work in the fields.

Turn on the TV and look at the commercials. Takes them 60 people to tell you to use their cell phone service. There''re more workers for the onion and concrete fields.

There is NO excuse for these people to be hiring outside (illegal)) employees. Send the illegals home and fine those who would rely on their production.

[hwy71so]

Hard work? These punk kids these days, those who think they need a gang to belong, could use some hard work. Sweat some of that dissention out of their pores.

[hwy71so]

Furthermore, there''s ZERO excuse for a 15 year old to weigh 200 pounds. Look at that boy they had to cut the wall down on his house just to get him out onto a flatbed trailor to take him to the emergency room. And they want us to believe its all because he has an ailment. He most likely has that ailment due to being obese and not being active as a kid.

We''ve got too many FAT people in this country that don''t have jobs, but plenty of food stamps, to say that we need these illegals to do the work for us.

Maybe, just maybe, uh, are press gangs illegal? lol

[Krazcarl]

Most crop harvesting is not done by the hour unless you process and package inside they pay by the bushel barrel or box and make much better than minimim wage up in Me. they cut classes in the fall for so the youth could pick up potatoes don''t know if they still do. They paid cash and SS numbers are never checked.

[Krazcarl]

ROADKING041..I was raised on a farm {poultry} and most farmers owe thier souls to the bank to stay in business it''s not a get rich quick scheme it''s hard. The best idea I''ve seen on the post is get the prisoners out of a cage and into the fields so when they get out have money in there pocket and some breathing room used to be done it could be like comunity service save the tax payers and honest work instills pride in folks but I didn''t think of it.

[hwy71so]

There is absolutely NO justification for hiring illegals when we have too many unemployed CITIZENS.

They can argue from whatever angle they want to; "it doesn''t pay enough", but I say it DOES pay more than they''re making unemployed.

No, they''d rather have you and me buy them food stamps and health care.

[Krazcarl]

sunsetbillyb.....TROLL

[hwy71so]

"yeah kick the poor hate your neighbor thats what God commanded right? ill tell you one thing your country is sinking slowly but surely just like the titanic sodom and gommorah get ready to embrace islamic law good luck amigos!!!

Posted by sunsetbillyb at 09:27 AM : Oct 11, 2007"

How about, "Submit to your governing authorities" as prescribed in the Apostle''s letter to the Romans?

Has nothing to do with hate or how poor the illegals are. Maybe those south of the border should light a fire under Vicente Fox''s hind end. Maybe get the Mexican government to take positive action to bring Mexico up to a 1st world economy instead of 3rd and 4th...

[whispyseas]

'' ... after a few thousand years of technological innovation, i decided that 14 billion year old civilizations probably swim around in their own crafted eternities, and probably figured out that their earth did not come before eternity ... infinite lines of resolution, infinitely fast refresh rate: infinite dances each infinitely small moment ... choose just one to view at a time! ... so joking ... ''

'' ... authorities beg for offices and jobs claiming to be responsible parties ... then when things go wrong, people who never claimed to be responsible are punished while authorities that claim responsibility go unpunished ... if a crime occurs, throw the responsible authority in prison where they belong and the irresponsible people back into the water where they belong ... ''

'' ... little naked girls know, put one naked girl on top of the news desk rallyd round the sick beds playing get well soon and feed the world, and there will be little naked girls on all the newsdesks ... which is why the little naked girls put armed dressed boys on the newsdesks, to give them a sporting chance ... ''

[tucano2]

What "crack down"? We may believe the government of the USA is actually enforcing current law when we read accurate reports of Illegal Aliens actually being deported in quantities of at least 250,00 a week till these criminals are all gone. Of course it is all for nothing if there is no barrier to re-entry. WHERE IS OUR FENCE? dIANNE fEINSTEIN PLEAS TAKE TIME TO ANSWER AN aMERICAN INSTEAD OF SUCKING UP TO CRIMINALS.

[jetranger7]

Ya, these Big Corporate Ranchers and Farmers "Corporate", CBS should take a Camera and show the people just what kind of Expensive Mansions they live in, and how they live, as to why they hire and work these Illegals, so they can live in luxury, while paying below poverty wages !! Bet these Owners have Health Insurance, and take paid Vacations, how about their workers, all their illegal workers, do they have the same benefits ??? NO !!!!! Tired of hearing these idiots complain about why they need illegals here to work for them, while they live in multi-million dollar homes and drive around in expensive 60 thousand dollar pick-ups !! Enough is Enough ! Support Customs and INS and Border patrol !!

[cantshutup]

I''m an American citizen...I would take a second job picking apples...I need the money to pay for the cost of health care!