Computer hardware snafu locks out crucial harvest workers
Computer hardware snafu locks out crucial harvest workers
A computer failure at the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs is resulting in the loss of up to $1 million each day for California’s agriculture industry, according to The Wall Street Journal.
WSJ reported that more than 1,000 workers who expected H-2A agricultural visas are unable to enter the United States from Mexico as a result of the June 9 hardware failure. Without those workers, fields are being left unpicked. The glitch is also affecting growers from Washington to Michigan and along the East Coast during the busy seasonal harvest for many fruit and vegetable items.
The ever-present issues of immigration and labor reform took center stage earlier this month when Broetje Orchards LLC had to pay a record $2.25 million civil penalty fine following a settlement agreement with U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement as a result of an immigration audit that said some of the company’s workers were not eligible to work in the United States.
Broetje described its case and settlement as highlighting "what is clearly a dysfunctional and broken immigration system. We urge our industry and our state’s congressional delegation to take the lead to support and pass immigration reform legislation. The agricultural labor shortage needs to be fixed, and now.”
Concern about such penalties has resulted in some turning to the seasonal worker H-2A program, which was described as expensive and bureaucratic before this visa issue arose.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs didn’t have a specific timeline for restoring its visa processing, but it said, “We expect the systems to be fully operational again soon.” However that isn't likely to mean much for growers who are unable to harvest their crops due to insufficient labor.
