[SatinDoll]

“...Many of the staunch opponents of amnesty are from red states where farming is big business...”

That’s the problem with evil. How can it be so wrong when it looks so good and feels wonderful! So I ask myself, how did farmers manage 40-50 years ago?

Well, they weren’t huge agrabusinesses then but smaller operations. Yes, in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, farmers hired Mexican migrants who moved back and forth across the border regularly in time with the harvests, but many of the workers were also locals. In the late 1960’s I, as a kid, picked strawberries in the Capistrano Valley between San Juan Capistrano and Dohenny State Park (southern California). Many youngsters in western states would work in the fields during the summers months to earn money, help their families out economically. Then Congress made it illegal for kids younger than 18 to do farm labor (Ceasar Chavez had a lot to with this) the only exception being farm family children. Now most young people can’t experience what real work is like until they’re over 18 years of age. Farmers could mechanize, it has been done to harvest asparagus, but it’s very expensive.

I swear, the illegal alien invasion is going to destroy this nation of ours. Immigrants are OK but illegals - NO!

[Rockitz]

Well, they weren’t huge agrabusinesses then but smaller operations. Yes, in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, farmers hired Mexican migrants who moved back and forth across the border regularly in time with the harvests, but many of the workers were also locals. In the late 1960’s I, as a kid, picked strawberries in the Capistrano Valley between San Juan Capistrano and Dohenny State Park (southern California). Many youngsters in western states would work in the fields during the summers months to earn money, help their families out economically. Then Congress made it illegal for kids younger than 18 to do farm labor (Ceasar Chavez had a lot to with this) the only exception being farm family children. Now most young people can’t experience what real work is like until they’re over 18 years of age. Farmers could mechanize, it has been done to harvest asparagus, but it’s very expensive.

I know full well. I and many of my school friends detasseled corn in the production of seed corn in Indiana in the early 70s. I started when I was 13 and got paid $1.10/hour and usually got the $0.15/hour bonus for being a good worker. There were no illegal aliens doing that work then- maybe an ex-felon or two, but no illegals.

I swear, the illegal alien invasion is going to destroy this nation of ours. Immigrants are OK but illegals - NO!

I'm with you.

[VOA]

Farmers could mechanize, it has been done to harvest asparagus,
but it’s very expensive.

It's expensive only when compared to the current option.
Be a modern-day plantation owner with a low-cost, compliant
(=exploitable) work force,
while the rest of the sucker taxpayers (including ones that will
never buy your produce) pay the REAL COST in terms of Emergency Room
healthcare, getting their anchor-babys (and probably some adults!)
onto SCHIP, and the cost of finding, locking up and feeding
the crimalien demographic in the Illegal Immigrant workforce.

I'm pretty sure that two Oklahoma farmers I know have taken this
approach to getting farm workers...and they are LOVING it!
If they branded their produce, the label would say
"Thanks, You Suckers/Gringos!!!!!"