As Congress debates immigration reform, industries across the country want a piece of the pie. While tech companies lobby for programs to bring scientists and engineers to the US, farmers are looking to expand guest worker programs for more agricultural hands in the field.
While some farmers and CEOs claim that American workers lack the work ethic or the requisite training to fill open positions, others argue that employers are simply ignoring American workers in favor of their foreign counterparts. Dawson Morton, an attorney specializing in farm workers’ rights at the Georgia Legal Services Program, believes guest worker programs harm immigrants and the local population. Ron Hira, a science labor force expert at the Rochester Institute of Technology, argues that American companies need to hire the country’s unemployed engineers before bringing workers from abroad– something Christine Miller, who was laid off from her job despite having a PhD in biochemistry, experienced firsthand.