California growers are worried the latest crackdown on undocumented workers could end up creating a severe labor shortage, Daniel Garza reported. California growers estimate that 90% of their workers are undocumented. Without them, crops would not get harvested.New requirements by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could force employers to monitor the fraudulent use of Social Security numbers and create a shortage of workers.
There already is a guest worker program, but it doesn't allow for enough workers and it has too much red tape to make it practical. A new guest worker program won't materialize until Congress passes comprehensive immigration reform.