The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on the U.S. Farming Sector

Summary

We investigate the impacts of immigration laws on the U.S. farming sector as they have raised concerns on possible farm labor shortages during the last decade. Immigrant labor is very important for the U.S. agriculture with some estimating that more than 50 percent of the work force is comprised of undocumented workers. Findings suggest that immigration enforcement efforts have reduced immigrant presence and may have impacted wages of farm workers, and other aspects of farm labor use and profitability.

Situation

The passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IRRA) of 1996 added Section 287(g) to the Immigration National Act (INA), allowing federal authorities to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies for purposes of immigration enforcement. From 2002 until 2011 there have been 69 jurisdictions in the U.S. that have adopted the 287(g) program including states (e.g. Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Arizona) and counties from different states (e.g. Cobb county in Georgia; Gaston County in North Carolina; Davidson County in Tennessee, etc.). The program was specifically targeted to remove illegal immigrants with criminal charges. However, about half of the program activity has involved people who have not committed felonies but rather immigrants who were detained for misdemeanors and traffic offenses (Capps et al., 2011). By 2011, 186,000 illegal immigrants were identified for removal (Parrado, 2011). There is also some (anecdotal? Or real?) evidence that immigrants left jurisdictions that signed 287(g) agreements (e.g. Capps et al. 2011; Barry 2009; Juby and Kaplan, 2011). Given that immigrants are an important source of labor for agriculture (Seid, 2006; Levine, 2009), such reforms have raised concerns about a shortage of labor in the U.S. agriculture (e.g. Hotakainen, 2011; McKissick and Kane, 2011; Preston, 2006). But the effect of 287(g) program agreements is to date not examined.

Response

We use local variation on the timing of adoption of 287(g) programs to assess the implications of these immigration laws on agriculture. The analysis uses individual level data from the 2004-2010 waves of the American Community Survey (ACS) and county level data from the 1997, 2002 and 2007 waves of the U.S. Census of Agriculture. We find robust evidence that immigration enforcement efforts by county authorities have reduced immigrant presence in adopting counties. We also find evidence that wages of farm workers, general patterns of labor use in farms and farm profitability may have been affected in a manner consistent with labor shortages. There is no clear evidence that state efforts have lead to notable effects. The outcomes from this project were presented at a national professional meeting and a paper is under review in a peer-reviewed agricultural economics journal. In addition, current work is under way with farm level data to further investigate the impact of immigration law enforcement on on-farm labor supply and profitability.

Impact

This is the first study to examine the effects of the 287 (g) programs on the U.S. agricultural sector. This study sheds light on the linkages between immigration laws and their impact on the U.S. agricultural labor supply, wages and farm productivity. The evidence provided here suggests that farmers that reside in counties that signed 287(g) agreements may have been negatively affected. This study suggests that immigration reform needs to be conducted in a way that maintains legality and political feasibility, but tools that protect farmers can be explored. For instance, this study implies that proposals like the “guest worker” program and others allowing temporary migrant farm labor may be worth considering. This research also goes to illuminate the general effects of stricter immigration, not just those of the 287(g) program. For instance, several states (including GA) have implemented much stricter laws, starting with Arizona (2010). These harsher laws were even contested in the Supreme Court. It is yet not possible to examine the effect of recent state laws, but this study provides a preview of their likely effects.

State Issue

Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability

Details

• Year: 2012
• Geographic Scope: National
• County: Spalding
• Program Areas:
  • Agriculture & Natural Resources