Originally Posted by JustJess

My issue is that our economy IS set up for the migrant worker, and not to handle paying people for real. Yes, penalize those employers. In the meantime, Sally Jo in Long Island is going to be pretty pissed off if her strawberries double in price, and she does not care who's picking them. We will manage, but it's foolish to think it will be a snap to change the system.

And dammit, I am a humanitarian. We can HELP people here, and we just want to tell them all to go away, and bury our heads!
Why not a migrant worker visa? A temporary, 6-month stay for the growing season.
Why not offer the in-country illegals an opportunity to apply like they wanted in the first place? Give them an actual chance! Offer clear and concise directions on how to apply, what is involved in the process, how much it will cost. Stop obsfucating the entire thing. It's not fair. Most Americans I know would not be able to handle this process, and we are already familiar with this country and its ways. We expect a newcomer to deal? HAH!

So let them apply, and if they do not within 2-3 months (or whatever deadline), THEN kick them out etc.

Originally Posted by stevo

The south was saying the same thing about cotton when slavery was abolished. Then someone invented one of these

I'll bet something interesting is invented to harvest strawberries if cheap illegal labor dries up. thats the way things go around here. something about necessity and the mother of inventions.