Border traffic yielding

The International Herald Tribune reports here that illegal immigration from Mexico to the U.S. has slowed. That fact could exacerbate what is sure to be an already tight agricultural labor market in 2007.

From the story:

The only barometer to gauge whether migrants are being discouraged to attempt entering the United States is how many migrants are caught. In the past four months, the number has dropped 27 percent compared with the same period last year. In two sections around Yuma and near Del Rio, Texas, the numbers have fallen by nearly two- thirds, officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security say. Many veteran officers in the force are now beginning to believe that with sufficient resources, the border can be controlled. The new measures range from simply putting more officers out on patrol to erecting stadium lights, secondary fences and barriers of thick, steel poles to stop smugglers from racing across the desert. The Border Patrol has deployed hundreds of new guards to watch rivers, man surveillance cameras and guard fences. The U.S. government has also begun punishing migrants with prison time from the first time they enter illegally in some areas. For instance, along the 210 mile border covered by the Del Rio office of the Border Patrol, everyone caught crossing illegally is charged in federal court and sentenced to at least two weeks in prison.


While AgJobs waits for action in the Congress, more growers are are showing interest in the H2A program, this news story notes. Several thousand agricultural workers in the guest worker program will be employed on the West Coast, officials say. This story recounts a visit to Washington by California Farm Bureau leaders.
From the California Farm Bureau Web site:

CFBF board member Wayne Vineyard of Lincoln said this about John McCain: "I was impressed with him. He seemed like he was on our side when it comes to immigration reform. He said he thinks we need an agriculture-workers-only piece of legislation and that its the only thing that's going to pass before the presidential campaigns get started in August. McCain told us he thinks the votes are there to do it, if the legislation ever gets out of committee and onto the floor for a vote."

TK: California industry leaders say the alternate bearing cycle means heavier yields for peaches and nectarines for 2007. The challenge of harvesting more tree fruit while facing the biggest shortage of workers ever is creating uncertainty in the market.