Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas had the opportunity to address the issue of immigration as it relates to farm labor during a CNN Town Hall forum Tuesday night.
Jason Vorpahl, who operates a 2800 head dairy farm in Wisconsin, questioned Cruz about the issue. “We offer a competitive wage and offer full benefits to all our employees,” said Vorpahl. “Most farms in the dairy industry cannot find American-born workers to milk the cows and take care of them. The only ones willing to do this hard work are Latino immigrants who, if we didn’t have them for eight hours, there would be a crisis across the country in our industry. What is the short-term solution to keep our current labor force intact? And what is the long-term solution moving forward?”
In answer, Cruz talked about the economic situation of farmers in general and how the government is making the situation worse by agency policies such as Waters of the United States (WOTUS). “And I think we need a president, we need an administration that takes the burdens off farmers so that it is easier to do your job which is incredibly important,” Cruz said.
Noting the need for an adequate labor force for agriculture, Cruz indicated the answer may be increasing mechanization and technology, citing the example of a pepper farmer in Arizona who “actually went and invented a new tool to help pick the peppers. And then he went down to the local community college and he ended up hiring Americans coming out of the community college.”
Cruz stressed the need to employ more Americans and to stifle illegal immigration. “And in the agriculture world, I think the first option should be trying to find American workers. Now that may mean wages come up. It may mean that we have to use more tools,” he said. “And beyond that, our legal immigration system, if there are needs in the labor force and American workers not available to do it, that’s where legal immigration should come in….It should be through the legal system targeted in a way that protects American workers.”
Listen to Cruz’s response to the question here: Sen. Ted Cruz addresses farm labor question