Uncorked!: The Immigration Issue

By Tom Shelton, President & CEO

On any given day you will find them waiting in the parking lot near Sunshine Market in St. Helena or around the town of Graton in western Sonoma County.

They are enthusiastic and capable day laborers willing to perform exhaustive work over
long hours without benefit of job security – most of them beyond the reach of regulatory controls. These workers are the most visible among the thousands of undocumented farmer/laborers working in the California wine industry. Less visible are the seasonal and permanent residents of Napa and Sonoma Counties who have entered the United States illegally, established homes and raised families, relying upon a ‘wink and a nod’
relationship with employers who dare not look too closely at documentation supporting claims to legal immigration.

At a recent gathering in support of Senator Dian Feinstein, Congressman Mike Thompson
(a highly respected friend and neighbor), urged us to take “politics out of policy” with respect
to the highly contentious national debate over illegal immigration. President Bush has
provided effective leadership by bringing immigration issues to the national stage as an advocate for change. With respect to immigration policy, it appears as if many elected
officials, both Republican and Democrat, are ahead of their constituents when it comes to enlightened reform.

Senator Feinstein admitted that telephone calls and other contacts with her office were running strongly against immigration reform. Why such a disconnections between public attitudes and the desperate need for new immigration policies?

Extremists surrounding contentious issues typically rely upon fear to attract support for a position. Our weakened school systems and over-burdened government services – not to mention post 9-11 xenophobia – provide ample fodder for those who want to blame undocumented workers for the ills of America. On the other side, labor unions and politicians pandering to the rising tide of Latino voter influence are stoking the fires of American complacency or outright indifference toward an essential workforce. Caught in the cacophonous din of the politics of extremism rests a fragile national policy that requires both heightened attention to security and an obvious need to provide a path to citizenship for essential workers.

Over the summer and fall of 2006 Congress will debate the issue in full, and if we all are lucky a compromise will be struck that permits undocumented workers already residing in America to apply for – and receive – legal documentation. It has been suggested that such documentation, a proposed ‘blue card,’ may be limited to agricultural workers who can demonstrate a minimum of 100 – 200 hours per year of agricultural employment. Further, holders of a blue card would become eligible after a specified period of time to apply for a green card, which would open a path to citizenship.

The critical elements of any reform package should include increased border security, legal documentation, without penalty, for existing undocumented but gainfully employed workers, and finally a reasonable and fair path to citizenship for those who embrace the opportunities and culture of America. Such a policy is consistent with our history and consistent with and intuitive demand for human decency. Anything less makes “illegals” of us all.