Diary farmers seek employment of temporary US visa holders
by Christine M - March 16, 2010
Vermont, United States, 16th March: Owners of several dairy farms where US immigration officials conducted raids last year are relating their woes now.
Among them is a Vermont based dairy farmer whose dairy farm was among five dairy farms that were raided by US immigration workers as part of the crackdown on all undocumented foreign dairy workers. Although, the farm owned by Clement Gervais along with his family and three brothers is said to be cleared by the US immigration officials, however, there are still four unresolved cases of dairy farms in Vermont.
The recent federal crackdown on dairy farms has left many dairy farmers in a lurk since they have to struggle hard to employ dairy farm workers and have to depend on a large number of foreign farm workers, many of whom might be undocumented workers.
Majority of dairy farmers do not open up due to the fear of inviting trouble on their part. It was only after a clear signal was received by the federal government officials that Gervais agreed to speak and help other dairy farmers employ foreign US temporary work visa holders for farm jobs in the country.
The federal crackdown was a part of the efforts by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as per the announcement in November 2009, to raid nearly 1,000 employers around the US who had hired undocumented immigrants in their businesses.
An update in this regard is expected in the coming months, Gillian Brigham, an official of the ICE said.
Talking about the issue of undocumented workers, Gervais, whose three workers left while seven, who were permanent residents still work there, said that the proof of documentation provided by the foreign workers at the time of employment is believed to be accurate since its quite difficult to find whether its fraudulent or not.
Gervais continued saying that it is really difficult to find enough local Americans for such work. And, they have to depend upon hiring foreign farm workers. He expressed his desire to hire temporary US work visa holders for filling up the jobs at his dairy farms.
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