Jun
5
President George W. Bush met with a number of pro-immigration business leaders - including the representative for Western Growers - on Friday (01JUN07) to discuss their support of the comprehensive immigration reform bill, also known as the ‘Z’ visa.
Western Growers, an agricultural trade association whose members grow, pack, and ship half of the nation’s fresh produce, are responsible for over 90 per cent of all fruit, vegetables and nuts grown in California and 75 per cent grown in Arizona.
The organization is a huge supporter of AgJOBS, which would result in a stable and legal work force for the agriculture industry. According to Western Growers, any failure in the passage of an immigration reform bill will result in many farm operations shutting down in 2007, with even more being forced to close in subsequent years.
Western Growers state, “The President met with Western Growers’ Washington D.C. representative Julian Heron and a group of business leaders to encourage them to renew and increase their efforts to see that the (U.S.) Senate passes comprehensive immigration reform.”
President and chief executive officer Tom Nassif says, “The (fresh produce) industry simply cannot survive in the long term without immigration reform. The need for a legal, stable and economic work force is growing. Labor shortages in agriculture are getting worse each year and we will soon reach the point of no return.”