Doc Hastings: “a primary duty of our government is to protect and defend our Nation--and that includes controlling our borders. This…”

“a primary duty of our government is to protect and defend our Nation--and that includes controlling our borders. This bill aims to strengthen our border control through increased manpower, new technology and smarter law enforcement coordination. These critical components to border control have my full support. However, by leaving out a reformed guestworker program, this bill is not the comprehensive solution that we need. If we fail to address why many people from other countries seek to enter our country illegally, we make the job of securing our Nation more difficult. I cannot fault anyone for wanting to come here to work for a better life for themselves and their families--most of us have family members who came to America for that very reason. That is the American way--and it's a tradition deeply rooted in our Nation's history. Central Washington is the top producer of labor intensive agriculture products like apples, pears, cherries and grapes and is heavily dependent upon immigrant labor. To stop illegal immigration and fix our broken immigration system, we must strengthen our borders and create a legal channel for workers to come here and fill jobs that Americans are not. The existing H2A guestworker program is unworkable--as evidenced by chronic labor shortages in many agricultural areas. There simply is not a ready pool of American workers to fill most of the jobs currently held by immigrant farmworkers.…”