Georgia Growers Say State Immigration Law To Blame For Labor Shortage

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Migrant workers are few and far between in Georgia lately, and many fruit and vegetable growers are blaming the state’s new immigration law for creating the labor shortage and jeopardizing millions of dollars worth of crops.

According to a story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC), Republican labor and ag commissioners are discussing the possibility of issuing a joint statement detailing their plans to address the labor shortage.

Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association executive director Charles Hall says that state officials might consider holding job fairs with the hopes of attracting the state’s unemployed to agricultural jobs. Growers argue, however, that finding Georgia residents who are willing to work in the fields is difficult because of the temporary nature of the work, in addition to the physical demands.

Some growers in the state are reporting having only about two-thirds or half the workers necessary, Hall said. Dick Minor, a partner with Minor Brothers Farm in Leslie, GA, says he’s short about 50 workers. “People are just saying: ‘I am not going to Georgia. The law is terrible. We are going to get in trouble there. Let’s just go on,” Minor said. “They have got options. And what they are saying is ‘Georgia is not the place to go.’”

The new immigration law (House Bill 87) punishes those who transport or harbor illegal immigrants in Georgia. In addition, it allows law enforcement officials to investigate the immigration status of individuals they think may have committed crimes and who can’t show valid identification.

On Friday, May 27, Georgia state officials confirmed they have begun investigating the severity of the state’s ag labor shortage. The AJC reports that Governor Nathan Deal has asked for the Georgia Department of Agriculture to survey growers about the impact of the immigration law on their businesses and report the findings by June 10. A spokesman for Deal told the AJC that the governor supports federal guestworker programs. “We have always said we don’t make federal laws, but we are subject to them,” the spokesman said. “Before HB 87, it was illegal to hire someone who was in the country illegally.”

Labor commissioner Mark Butler said in a statement that his agency, along with the Department of Agriculture, are “working together to provide the workforce where needed to the agribusiness community.”

To read the full AJC articles, click here and here.

Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution