Migrant workers hand-pick Vidalia onions in Georgia. The vegetables are too delicate to be harvested by machine. Kathy Lohr/NPR hide caption
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Kathy Lohr/NPR
Migrant workers hand-pick Vidalia onions in Georgia. The vegetables are too delicate to be harvested by machine.
Kathy Lohr/NPR
Georgia is introducing a new law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants, and many across the state are nervous. Businesses fear an economic boycott, the Latino community fears cops will abuse their new powers, and farmers in South Georgia fear the law will dramatically harm them.
Georgia is known for its peaches and vidalia onions, the state vegetable. The specialty crop is only grown in a few counties in the state’s rural southeast where the soil is just right.
Aries Haygood of M&T Farms watches a crew of about 50 migrant workers work in groups of three or four to hand-pick the golden onions.
“Right now they’re just coming in through the field,” he says. “They take out the onions and just cut off the tops and roots to prepare them to take to the packing house.”
It’s a labor-intensive process that machines simply can’t do because it would hurt delicate crops — an industry that brings in $140 million a year.
This farm has 500 acres of bulbs with about 80,000 plants per acre, so Haygood relies heavily on the help of migrant workers.
“Our biggest fear is that because of the way the law might be structured, we won’t be able to find enough workers to do the work that we need to do in a short amount of time,” he says .
“Livelihood at stake”
Just a few miles to the east, RT Stanley Jr. has been growing Vidalia onions since the 1970s. He’s also concerned about the immigration law, which he says is already affecting his workers.
“If they’re scared, they go to other states instead of Georgia because we have this new law,” he says. “And I worry about that.”
Georgia’s immigration law comes into force on July 1.
- The law introduces new rules on hiring workers and gives the police greater powers to arrest illegal immigrants. It also increases the penalty for people who use fake ID to get a job and requires most employers to use the federal E-Verify system to ensure a person is fit to work.
- Those applying for public benefits, including food stamps and public housing, are now required to produce ID to prove they are legal US citizens.
- The law affects all employers, but farmers say they will be hit hardest because they employ hundreds of migrant workers.
- Some opponents of the law say it has already affected companies that cater to Latinos, and Atlanta business leaders fear a threatened boycott will hurt the economy.
– Kathy Lohr
According to Stanley, experienced workers can earn up to $200 a day. He says he’s tried hiring locals to do the work — working in the fields for eight hours or more, cutting, bending and lifting in the sweltering Georgia heat.
“They just don’t want to do that hard work. And they’ll tell you quickly,” he says. “I got them to come out and work for two hours and they said, ‘I’m not doing this. It is too hard.’ “
Finding workers is difficult enough for Stanley, and he says the new restrictions are likely to make it worse.
“I put my livelihood on the line,” he says. “If I don’t harvest these onions, I’ll lose my farm.”
Some farmers use the federal government’s temporary worker program known as H-2A, but they say the system has problems — including bureaucracy and processing delays.
The new Georgia law, modeled on Arizona law, which is currently being challenged in court, requires all businesses with more than 10 employees to use the state’s E-Verify system to confirm worker eligibility.
Onion growers say they know politicians are under pressure to do something about illegal immigration, but aren’t sure this is the answer.
Joel Salgado, a team foreman from Mexico, is here legally and has been harvesting onions for about 15 years. “People have to go back to Mexico, you know. They don’t want to take any more risks here,” he says. “You won’t find a job. … I know many families who have already returned.”
Law faces challenges
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal knows there is opposition to the new law, including legal challenges and threats of an economic boycott. But he thinks the new law is right.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signs the state’s new immigration law in Atlanta May 13 as state Rep. Matt Ramsey — the sponsor of the bill — looks on. Tami Chappell/AP Hide subtitles
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Tami Chappell/AP
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signs the state’s new immigration law in Atlanta May 13 as state Rep. Matt Ramsey — the sponsor of the bill — looks on.
Tami Chappell/AP
“Let me reiterate something important that sometimes gets lost,” he said as he signed the law on May 13. “Illegal immigration is already illegal in the state of Georgia.”
According to Deal, an estimated half a million illegal immigrants live in Georgia — and they cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year. State Assemblyman Matt Ramsey is the sponsor of the bill.
“It’s not just an immigration issue,” says Ramsey. “It’s a school problem. It’s a transportation problem. It’s a health issue.”
As the law is phased in over the next few years, farmers in South Georgia are suggesting farm workers could be treated differently from others – but Ramsey says that won’t work.
“I don’t think we need to start picking winners and losers in the statute and treating industries differently,” he says. “Especially in this period of 10 percent unemployment.”
But back in Vidalia, Haygood says if farmers don’t get enough workers, they might have to stop growing crops like onions and peaches.
“We’ve put our time and effort into growing our businesses, and then something like this could suddenly put this industry out of business overnight.”
It is unclear what exactly will happen when Georgia starts implementing its new law. Farmers need to comply – and higher labor and processing costs could mean higher prices for consumers.
