White House announcement on immigration reform

Working from home today, but a developing story is White House initiative on immigration reform and industry reaction to it.

From the White House.
BORDER SECURITY
1. The Administration Will Continue To Strengthen Security At The Border With Additional Personnel And Infrastructure. We are committed to implementing the following border security measures by December 31, 2008:
18,300 Border Patrol agents
370 miles of fencing
300 miles of vehicle barriers
105 camera and radar towers
Three additional UAVs
We will also work to ensure that 1,700 more Border Patrol Agents and an additional UAV are added in 2009.
2. The Administration Will Maintain The Policy Of "Catch And Return" For Illegal Aliens Apprehended At The Border. For years, limited detention space forced the release of many illegal border crossers from nations other than Mexico with nothing more than a Notice to Appear for a hearing before an immigration judge. Many aliens ignored these notices and instead blended into U.S. society. The Administration has ended this practice and instituted a policy of "catch and return," ensuring that all removable aliens caught trying to cross the border illegally are held until they can be removed.
The Administration Will Further Increase Funding For Detention Beds So There Are Places To Detain 31,500 Illegal Aliens Until They Can Be Returned.
The Administration Will Also Press Recalcitrant Countries To Work With The United States To Repatriate Citizens Who Are In The United States Illegally.
3. The Departments Of State And Homeland Security Will Strengthen Legal Efforts To Keep International Gang Members Out Of The United States. Gangs are at the root of many U.S. crime problems today, and many of the most dangerous gangs draw significant membership from abroad. The Federal government already denies visas to known members of certain gangs from China, the former Soviet Union, and El Salvador. Today, the President is directing the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand this list of dangerous organized gangs from other nations and to ensure that members of those gangs are barred from entry into the United States.
4. The Administration Will Expand Exit Requirements So Persons Who Overstay Limited-Duration Visits To The United States Can Be Identified.
By The End Of 2008, The US-VISIT Exit Requirement Will Be Underway At All U.S. Airports And Seaports. The Department of Homeland Security will continue to explore effective and cost-efficient means of establishing biometric exit requirements at land border crossings.
The Administration Will Establish A New Land-Border Exit System For Guest Workers, Starting On A Pilot Basis. This will help ensure that temporary workers in the country now follow the mandate to leave when their work authorization expires.
5. The Administration Will Require All Travelers To Our Ports Of Entry To Use Passports Or Other Similar Secure Documents. Since January 2007, air travelers have been required to carry a passport for entry into the United States. Because of passport processing backlogs, a temporary accommodation has been made for U.S. citizens traveling in the Western Hemisphere, which will be phased out. Starting January 31, 2008, DHS will phase in a requirement for passports or other secure documents for sea and land ports of entry.
6. Beginning This Fall, The Secretary Of Homeland Security Will Deliver Regular "State Of The Border" Reports. These reports will keep the American people informed of the Federal Government's progress in securing the border and hold the Administration accountable for continuing improvement.

INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT
7. The Administration Is Training Hundreds Of State And Local Law Enforcement Officers To Address Illegal Immigration In Their Communities. The Administration is maintaining the 287(g) program and expanding other measures that help State and local law officials. These measures include a broad array of enforcement tools, such as formal task forces, greater use of the ICE Law Enforcement Support Center, delegated border search and seizure authority under Title 19, and enhanced partnerships to address location-specific threats, such as gangs.
8. By This Fall, U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement Teams Devoted To Removing Fugitive Aliens Will Have Been Quintupled In Less Than Three Years. There were 15 seven-member Fugitive Operations Teams in 2005. As of this week there are 68; there will be 75 by the end of September.
9. The Justice Department Will Initiate Regulatory Action To Close The "Voluntary Departure" Loophole Manipulated By Many Illegal Immigrants. Illegal immigrants who settle their cases by agreeing to voluntarily depart sometimes then gain extra time inside the United States by filing a procedural motion to reopen the case. New regulations will clarify that filing such a motion will terminate the voluntary departure status and make the alien subject to the order of removal. They will also set a presumptive $3,000 civil penalty for failing to comply with a voluntary departure agreement.
WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT
10. Today, The Department Of Homeland Security Issued A "No-Match" Regulation That Will Help Employers Ensure Their Workers Are Legal And Help The Government Identify And Crack Down On Employers Who Knowingly Hire Illegal Workers. In cases in which an employer has a significant number of employees with inaccurate personal identity information, the Social Security Administration will send the employer a "No-Match" letter. The regulation clarifies that employers may be held liable if they ignore the "No Match" problems by failing to take specified steps within 90 days of receiving the letter.
11. In The Coming Months, The Administration Will Publish A Regulation That Will Reduce The Number Of Documents That Employers Must Accept To Confirm The Identity And Work Eligibility Of Their Employees. Presently, no fewer than 29 categories of documents can be used to establish identity and work eligibility. Employers have little capacity to verify the authenticity of these documents, and the sheer quantity of accepted documents is an invitation to fraud. This regulation will reduce unlawful employment by weeding out insecure documents now used often for identity fraud.
12. As A Civil Counterpart To The Administration's Strategy Of Using Criminal Investigations To Deter Illegal Employment, The Department Of Homeland Security Will Raise The Civil Fines Imposed On Employers Who Knowingly Hire Illegal Immigrants By Approximately 25 Percent. Efforts to secure the border will fail unless the "magnet" that attracts illegals is turned off. Unfortunately, the fines for relying on illegal workers are so modest that some companies treat them as little more than a cost of doing business. DHS will use existing authority to update civil fines for inflation in order to boost fines by about 25 percent, as much as is allowed under current law.
13. The Administration Will Continue To Expand Criminal Investigations Against Employers Who Knowingly Hire Large Numbers Of Illegal Aliens. Arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for criminal violations have increased from 24 in FY 1999 to a record 716 in FY 2006. There have been 742 criminal arrests since the beginning of FY 2007 (through July 31), and there is anecdotal evidence that companies are taking notice and adjusting their business practices to follow the law.
14. The Administration Will Commence a Rulemaking Process To Require All Federal Contractors And Vendors To Use E-Verify, The Federal Electronic Employment Verification System, To Ensure That Their Employees Are Authorized To Work In The United States. The Federal government ought to lead by example. As there are more than 200,000 companies doing Federal business, this will significantly expand use of E-Verify, and make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to obtain jobs through fraud.
15. The Administration Will Help States Make Greater Use Of E-Verify. Some States already mandate the use of E-Verify by some or all of their hiring agencies, and other States are considering similar requirements. The Administration will assist such efforts through outreach and offers of technical assistance.
16. The Administration Will Bolster E-Verify By Expanding The Data Sources It Can Check. This will make it easier to catch individuals who commit identity theft. New sources of data will include cross-checks of visa and passport information.
17. The Administration Will Seek Voluntary State Partners Willing To Share Their Department Of Motor Vehicles Photos And Records With E-Verify. Agreements to allow E-Verify access to the repository of photographs in state DMV databases will help prevent illegal immigrants from using fraudulent driver’s licenses to obtain employment. Such agreements will also lay the groundwork for further expansion of the electronic employment eligibility verification system.


Here is coverage from the LA Times. From the Times:
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration plans to announce a broad new initiative today to sharpen immigration enforcement, including measures to raise fines for employers who hire illegal workers, require federal contractors to use an employment verification system and add thousands more agents at the southern border. Other provisions will restrict the types of documents employees can use to prove their legal status and speed up background checks for legal immigrants. Administration officials also intend to streamline a cumbersome agriculture guest worker program. The 25 measures -- some new and some of which expand upon current policies -- come in addition to the expected announcement today of a plan to crack down on illegal immigrants by forcing employers to fire workers with discrepancies in their Social Security information. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has signaled for weeks that the administration would take independent action to deal with illegal immigration after the Senate failed to pass broad immigration reform in June. "We are currently looking at all of the tools we have, without congressional action," he told the Associated Press this week. "We're going to see where we can sharpen some of those tools up. We're going to throw every enforcement tool we have into this issue of trying to address our immigration problem."Business groups expressed dismay at the proposals and suggested they could hurt the economy, particularly in industries like agriculture and construction, which are heavily dependent on immigrant labor.


From the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform

AGRICULTURE COALITION FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
For Immediate Release:
August 10, 2007
AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYERS, WORKER ADVOCATES AGREE:
WE NEED REAL REFORM, NOT BAND-AIDS O SECURE AMERICA’S FOOD SUPPLY
Joint statement by ACIR and the UFW.
Concerns over immigration and undocumented employees cannot be fixed ith the types of band-aid solutions Homeland Security is offering. roposing new regulations, which neither address the real issues nor take effect until months after harvest time, is not realistic or even practical. Agricultural employers are desperate for a legal workforce for the current harvest season. Farm workers cannot suffer another year living in the shadows of our society. “A real solution, legislation which already has strong bipartisan support, such as AgJOBS, is what farm workers and agricultural employers need to ensure America has a safe food supply grown in the United States, and the agricultural industry has a legal, stable and valued workforce.”

Fresh cut workshop offered

Jim Gorny of UC Davis passes news of this September fresh cut workshop along. Sounds like a valuable session, with consumer trends addressed in addition to safety and technical issues. The news release:

UC Davis Fresh-cut Workshop Offers Solutions to Maintain Produce Quality, Safety & Marketability

DAVIS, CA (August 13, 2007) -- The Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center will host the 12th Annual Fresh-cut Produce Workshop, providing participants with cutting edge technical information about the fast growing fresh-cut, ready-to-eat produce industry. The workshop will be held September 25-27, 2007 on the University of California, Davis campus at the Buehler Alumni and Visitor’s Center. A limited number of registrations are still available to produce industry professionals who can now register online for this popular workshop at: http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu. The workshop provides fresh-cut processors, receivers, handlers, buyers, shippers and sellers with an in-depth understanding of fresh-cut produce fundamentals and cutting edge technologies used in the production and handling of fresh-cut produce.

"We believe this is a unique opportunity for producers, buyers, and those providing good and services to the fresh-cut industry to drill down into the technical details of the fresh-cut industry and learn how to improve overall quality, safety and marketing capabilities to meet consumer needs" said Dr. Marita Cantwell workshop technical coordinator.

The workshop is taught by university researchers and industry professionals, providing a balance of the latest research and practical experience. Attendance would be beneficial to anyone interested in learning more about the fast growing, multi-billion dollar, value-added, prepared, fresh-cut fruit and vegetable category and features technical sessions covering a wide range of issues focused on fresh-cut produce challenges and opportunities including:
Assuring the Microbial Safety of Fresh-cut Produce
Modified Atmosphere Packaging Design
Marketing and Consumer Trends
Fundamentals of Product Biology
Maintaining Product Quality Throughout the Chill Chain
Sanitation
Specific Fresh-cut Product Information

The 2007 Fresh-cut Produce Workshop is organized by Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center at U.C. Davis and is co-sponsored by the Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Produce Association two of the nation’s most respected national produce trade organizations.

Attendees may register for this and other upcoming educational outreach activities sponsored by the Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center via their website at http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu or by contacting Ms. Penny Stockdale, registration coordinator, at (530) 754-4326 or pastockdale@ucdavis.edu.

USDA August Crop Report - Apple Production

The first step is admitting you have a probem

This link was passed on by Doug Powell of K-State's Food Safety Network, and it speaks to the newly found public relations sensibilities among China's food safety officials.


From Australia's Online Opinion:

With a public relations scandal looming if not already roiling for China on June 12, 2007, Li Dongsheng, the Vice Minister for the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in China, told reporters in China that China had developed “very good, very complete methods” to regulate product safety.
“We can guarantee food safety,” Vice Minister Li Dongsheng concluded. China demonstrated, by that statement and many similar denials and public announcements, that it “didn’t get it”. China doesn’t know what almost every experienced American movie star, politician and prominent sports figure know: as soon as a scandal breaks - come clean. Noted public relations and crisis management professional Jonathan Bernstein wrote in an article written for Bernstein Communications, “the role of public relations … is to help stabilise that environment by developing messages and public relations strategy which results in prompt, honest, informative and concerned communication with all important audiences - internal and external”.
Today, after months of further developments in the scandal, the official China news agency Xinhua quoted the deputy head of the State Food and Drug Administration, Hui Lusheng, as saying, “At present, the food safety situation has improved, yet is still serious”.

TK: Perhaps China's food safety officials can garner a little more PR favor by entering rehab - rehab for autocratic, dictatorial and out of touch bureaucrats. The last head of food safety oversight in China was executed; perhaps those in charge now see the value of lowering expectations.

8/10 USDA Crop Production - Apples are out

Here is the link to today's USDA Crop Production report.

For most observers, the highlight of the report is record corn production, forecast at 24% higher than last year and 17% above 2005.

For the produce trade, the crop production report details prospects for U.S. apple output. From the looks of the report, U.S. apple growers should be looking forward to another strong year. Here is what the USDA said:

Apples: The U.S. apple forecast for the 2007 crop year is 9.28 billion pounds, down 7 percent from last year and 4 percent below 2005. Extreme weather conditions across most of the United States, from spring freezes to summer drought, have had a significant impact on apple production. Production in the Western States (AZ, CA, CO, ID, OR, UT, and WA) is forecast at 5.99 billion pounds, down 4 percent from last year and 6 percent below 2005. Washington production, which makes up 58 percent of the U.S. total, is forecast at 5.40 billion pounds, down 4 percent from last year and 5 percent below 2005. Hard frosts during October and November 2006 followed by a cold spring were factors that contributed to the reduced apple crop. Many growers experienced a poor return bloom this spring, particularly on Red and Golden Delicious varieties. California apple production is forecast at 340 million pounds, 4 percent below the past two years. The crop received adequate chilling hours over the winter and the weather was favorable during bloom. Harvesting of Gala apples began in late July, slightly earlier than last year. Oregon's production is forecast at 145 million pounds, 3 percent below 2006 but unchanged from 2005. Orchards in the western portion of the State received rain during bloom, which reduced fruit set. Production along the Washington border is expected to be slightly higher than last year, however, this is not enough to offset the decrease in production experienced elsewhere in the State. Production in the Eastern States (CT, GA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY,NC, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, and WV) is forecast at 2.31 billion pounds,down 5 percent from last year but 3 percent above 2005. The apple forecast in New York, at 1.29 billion pounds, is up 3 percent from2006 and 23 percent above 2005. Across New York, producers reported good crop conditions, despite some hail damage. Dry weather in the Lake Ontario and Hudson Valley regions may have reduced fruit size. Pennsylvania's forecast of 455 million pounds is 3 percent less than last year and 9 percent below 2005. Despite favorable weather conditions after bloom, extremely dry weather is negatively affecting apple size. A crop of 200 million pounds is forecast for Virginia, 9 percent less than last year and 20 percent below 2005. A late frost and freezing temperatures caused damage to the crop across the apple growing region. Rainfall was adequate in May, but hot, dry conditions persisted throughout June and July. North Carolina's crop is forecast at 50.0 million pounds, down71 percent from 2006 and 62 percent below 2005. A severe freeze in April resulted in reduced production across the State. Production in the Central States (IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, MO, OH,TN, and WI) is forecast at 979 million pounds, a decrease of20 percent from 2006 and 11 percent below 2005. Michigan's production forecast is 790 million pounds, down 7 percent from last year but 4 percent above 2005. A late April freeze reduced yield potential in southern Michigan. Hot, dry weather has minimized disease pressure and hastened fruit development. Maturity projections are one week to 12 days ahead of normal. Ohio's forecast is 55.0 million pounds, 46 percent below 2006 and44 percent below 2005. Weather conditions during the spring were wet and cool, while conditions during the summer have been hot and dry. A late freeze in April resulted in damage to this year's apple crop. Production in Wisconsin is forecast at 62.0 million pounds, down 5 percent from 2006 but 19 percent above 2005. Favorable spring weather across most of the State resulted in good pollination and fruit set. Warm weather has benefited fruit size and limited disease pressure.

USDA nutrition research summary

Check out this link to a recent ERS report on a summary or nutrition related research projects. The 52 page report hits a number of hot topics (and more than a few obscure ones) in nutrition research. The summary touches on immigrants and obesity and focuses heavily on food environment and food security among lower income population groups.

One study assesses how doable it is for Food Stamp recipients to meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. From the study:

The total cost of the Penn State menus was $117.01 ± $11.79 (mean ± standard deviation) for week one and $112.19 ± $11.44 for week two. These average costs were 54 percent and 47 percent more than the average food stamp benefits received, respectively. However, note that these menus do not meet the food recommendations of the 2005 DGA.

TK: The federal government needs to do more to allow Food Stamp and WIC participants to secure better nutrition in their diet. Speaking of WIC, the USDA had earlier said that September was a target date for the WIC rule on fruit and vegetable vouchers. Let's hope that timeline isn't slipping....

Discussion Group roundup 8/10

Props again to the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group . This morning's topic list from Big Apple includes:

Changes to South Texas Onion Committee Links to new FR rule

Going to the past to build a strategy for pandemics Link to Time magazine article

Florida losses to drought could hit $1 billion From the Reuters story:
"That figure could rise, depending on the water levels of Lake Okeechobee, up to one billion dollars," department spokesperson Terry McElroy said. Lake Okeechobee in south central Florida stores irrigation water for some 700,000 acres of agricultural land. Summer rains have eased water−use restrictions in many urban areas but farmers around the lake are still under restrictions and face "a dire situation" that could continue into next year and beyond, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said in a statement.

USDA APHIS Advisory committee plans public meeting Aug. 21 Emergency management systems and foreign livestock and poultry diseases to be discussed

Product Packages Shout to get your attention Link to NYT article on increasingly frenetic changes in packaging to get consumers' attention.