Illegal immigration is one of the most difficult topics to address because of its far-reaching effects on national security, its social and economic impacts and its disregard for the rule of law.
The issue needs to be resolved and the bipartisan immigration reform bill as originally drafted is a solution that can address many of the problems without destroying the agriculture economy and the service and construction sectors.
The vast majority of agriculture relies on migrant labor and has done so for many years. Small and large farming operators and agriculture processing facilities needed to produce our foods must have a reliable and legal work force.
Let's face it; working on farms and ranches is not easy. The current workforce of migrant farm workers is willing to do the jobs that others choose not to. According to a 1998 U.S. Department of Labor survey, 53 percent of seasonal crop workers in the U.S. indicated they were working illegally. That figure is probably closer to 70 percent by now.
Back then, 16 percent (which is one in six) were newcomers, working their first year in seasonal crop work in the U.S., and 99 percent of these newcomers admitted they were working illegally.
Whether they are legal or not, Utah and American agriculture rely on these workers to keep our food moving from the field to the grocery store. They help contribute to Utah's $1.5 billion agriculture economy.
Swift & Co., the operators of several meat packing plants, including one in Hyrum, Cache County, reported earlier this month that the December 2006 arrest of 1,200 workers by U.S. immigration agents cost the company as much as $50 million.
No company managers were charged, since they had been following the law. Thousands of market-ready cattle and hogs from American producers could not go to market.
Without access to a legal and stable workforce, as witnessed in the Swift example, agriculture is at risk. The original Senate bill provides a well-reasoned solution to this dilemma.
The bill does not offer amnesty to those here illegally. It requires them to go to the "back of the line" to apply for permanent residency or citizenship.
The bill:
* Contains provisions to strengthen our borders through adding Border Patrol agents, building border fences and enhancing surveillance.
* Provides a path to earn legal status for the undocumented in our country, which is estimated to be 10 million to 12 million, including thousands in Utah.
* Creates a strong employment verification system.
Just as most bills are products of compromise, this bill is likely to see some changes.
Our agriculture community supports the immigration reform bill, and I encourage our citizens to support it as well.
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* LEONARD M. BLACKHAM is Utah commissioner of agriculture.
