Farm Labor, Immigration and Food Security
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American farmers insist that immigration enforcement has dried up the
supply of farm labor. Some are resorting to prison inmates and others
are moving to Mexico. Are legal workers available and affordable? Is
there a risk to the security of the food supply? Also, Turkey recalls its ambassador after a congressional declaration over the Armenian "genocide," and the new book by a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter says the expansion of executive power engineered by Vice President Cheney is a threat to the Constitution.
Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images
Making News
Turkey Recalls Ambassador over Armenian Genocide Bill ()
Turkey says it's not withdrawing its ambassador to the US, but it is asking him home for a week or so of consultations. This comes in the aftermath of yesterday's declaration by a committee of Congress that Turkey committed "genocide" against Armenians in 1915.
The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler is author of The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy.
Guests:
- Glenn Kessler: Diplomatic Correspondent, Washington Post, @GlennKesslerWP
Main Topic
Farm Labor, Immigration and Food Security ()
A federal judge gave US employers--including farmers--a temporary reprieve yesterday, saying one immigration enforcement strategy might do irreparable harm to both business and labor. So-called "no match" Social Security letters will not be sent to employers after all, at least for the next few months. But planting, cultivating and harvesting have been seriously disrupted by the crackdown on illegal workers. In Colorado, restrictive new state laws deny all but essential services to undocumented workers, and some of the fields are being worked by prison inmates. In California, some farmers have already moved to Mexico. Why can't legal workers take up the slack? Is it only about cheap labor? What about the reliability and safety of the food supply?
Guests:
- Phil Prutch: Farmer in Colorado
- Luawanna Hallstrom: COO, Harry Singh & Sons
- Steve Scaroni: Owner, Veg Packer de Mexico
- Manuel Cunha: President, Nisei Farmers League
- Caroline Smith DeWaal: Food Safety Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Carl Nielsen: Former Director, FDA's Import Inspection Programs
Links:
- H-2A Certification
- Farmers' shift to Mexico, Philip Martin's predictions (New York Times)
- Senator Feinstein's AgJOBS bill (S 347)
- Rep DeLauro's plan to transform FDA, food safety
- Dingell's bill on FDA oversight of imported food and drugs (HR 3610)
- DHS Secretary Chertoff on 'no-match' regulation ruling by US District Court
Reporter's Notebook
Bush Administration's Expansion of Presidential Power ()
To "expand presidential power in any way we can" was the theme of the first meeting of President Bush's legal team, led by Dick Cheney in January, 2001. In the months before September 11, the Vice President was looking for a moment to "seize" more power for the White House. Cheney made no secret of his drive to concentrate authority in the White House, reducing the power of both the courts and the Congress, and creating a zone of secrecy around the executive branch. That's according to the Boston Globe's Charlie Savage, whose latest book is Takeover: the Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy.
Guests:
- Charlie Savage: Legal Affairs Reporter, Boston Globe, @charlie_savage
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