Fresno Bee (CA): Valley ag leaders, Swearengin upbeat on Obama immigration plan

The president spoke Tuesday in Las Vegas, where he outlined broad proposals for putting millions of illegal immigrants on a clear path to citizenship while cracking down on businesses that employ people illegally and tightening security at the borders.

Swearengin was among four mayors invited to attend. In his speech, the president identified the mayors by name and their respective cities. The other mayors were from Atlanta, Phoenix and Avondale, Ariz., a Phoenix suburb.

Swearengin said she was encouraged by what the president said about securing the borders and providing a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

"He was trying to communicate that now is the time to bring both sides of Congress together," she said. "We all recognize that the way things are working today is not helping anyone."

Although Obama did not specifically mention agriculture, Swearengin said she is hopeful the president and Congress will look at the industry’s need for labor.

"This is such a mission-critical issue for the Valley," she said.

Agriculture depends heavily on undocumented labor to harvest crops, pack fruit and tend livestock.

By the industry’s own estimates, more than half of the nearly 1.5 million workers hired on U.S. farms are in the country illegally. But that pool of workers has been shrinking.

Last spring, California farmers were hit with a worker shortage as tighter border enforcement, increased smuggling costs for immigrants and drug-related violence contributed to fewer people coming to the U.S. from Mexico.

"We learned that not having a workable immigration program for agricultural employees affects farmers throughout the state and across an array of crops, especially fruits and vegetables," said Paul Wenger, California Farm Bureau Federation president.

Farmers say that immigration reform must provide the industry with a stable supply of labor.

Manuel Cunha, president of the Fresno-based Nisei Farmers League, said he is pleased by the attention the immigration issue has received from the president and Congress.

"What is important to us is that the president wants to deal with the reality of immigration," Cunha said. "And he wants to deal with it comprehensively."

Cunha said he supports the president’s plan and a proposal released Monday by a bipartisan group of senators. The senators’ proposal is similar to Obama’s, with one major exception — a special program for agricultural workers.

Cunha and other agriculture leaders are lobbying the senators to support the industry’s proposal, which would bring workers to the U.S. for up to 10 months. After that, the workers would return to their home country.

Cunha said they would be provided with the same labor protections as U.S. workers — addressing a concern of the United Farm Workers union.

Arturo Rodriguez, president of the UFW, said he is willing to work with the agriculture industry on a guest worker program with some conditions.

"We are open to listening," Rodriguez said. "But we will not agree to any program that does not protect the rights of workers or displaces any U.S. workers."

Agriculture leaders say that with the support of the president and a bipartisan group of senators, immigration reform stands a good chance of approval.

The industry has been lobbying for immigration reform for more than a decade.

"I think we are in a better place to get something done now than we have been in many years," said Ken Barbic, director of federal government affairs for the Irvine-based Western Growers.