Immigration bill would have big impact

If the Senate's compromise passes, it could have implications in North Carolina for everything from food prices to the cost of new homes

WASHINGTON -- North Carolina businesses say that should the proposed immigration reform pass, they would have the labor they need to keep the state's economy humming.

National estimates are that some 70 percent of illegal immigrants toil in low-skill jobs. In North Carolina, immigrants slop hogs, cut up chickens, frame houses, wash dishes, make beds and pick the cucumbers, melons and tobacco that sprout from much of the state's farmlands.

Next week, the U.S. Senate will consider an immigration deal that farmers and business owners have cautiously welcomed, saying its provisions to legalize immigrants could relieve a broken labor system and protect loyal workers skittish about being deported.

If the compromise reached this week between Senate Democrats and Republicans passes, it could have strong implications for North Carolina's work force, the industries it serves and the consumers who buy everything from pints of berries to pricey houses.

"North Carolina has a huge stake in this, and a growing stake," said U.S. Rep. David Price, a Democrat from Chapel Hill. "How we handle immigration is a huge economic issue."

For years, industry leaders and local farmers have been trekking to Capitol Hill to make their arguments about labor shortages. Basically, their argument is this: There aren't enough people in the country willing to do some jobs, and those from Latin America are good workers.

"My experience with Hispanic labor has been exceptionally good," said Bundy Lane, who raises hogs in eastern North Carolina. He recalled that after Hurricane Floyd in 1999, his two Hispanic employees were the only ones who showed up to care for the pigs. They brought a pal who was willing to help, plus clothing and food for three days.

"It told me a lot," Lane said.

What about business?

There were warnings, too, from those who called the deal short-sighted and said it doesn't offer an adequate long-term supply of labor because of a six-year cap on a temporary guest worker program.

"This is clearly not what businesses wanted," said Charles Kuck, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a lawyer in Atlanta. "Where is the future work force going to come from in 10 years?"

Consumers should pay attention. Without the low-wage, labor, costs for goods would be far higher, said Michael Walden, an economist at N.C. State University.

"How it affects the average Joe is [illegal immigrants] have built and produced and delivered lots of products that we didn't have the labor pool to create," Walden said. "And they're keeping prices lower."

The bill won't be released until late Monday, and senators were trying to puzzle through details Friday. But descriptions offered by the White House and Senate staff outline a complex bill that could run hundreds of pages. Among possible provisions:

* A new "Z visa" for people here before Jan. 1, 2007, and employed.

* An immediate legalization for those in the agriculture industry.

* A temporary guest worker program that allows workers in for 2-year periods, with a 6-year cap and a prohibition on permanent legal status.

* A program for seasonal agriculture workers.

Employers say they've already seen fewer applicants in recent months as federal immigration officials have tightened the border with Mexico and increased workplace crackdowns.

"You don't have as many people applying," said Dennis Pittman, spokesman for Smithfield Packing Company, which employs 5,000 people at the world's largest pork processing plant in Bladen County. About half are Hispanic.