It a recent debate on Facebook over illegal immigration, one fellow argued:
What if something to hide is you're harvesting most of the food we eat? If our harvest were left solely to the documented, we would have massive food shortages and prices would go up so fast most Americans would be clamoring to reopen the border within a month. The fact is our grocery store industry is just one of many dependent on low cost food, so how exactly are low paid grocery store workers supposed to keep their jobs as well once food chains have to cut labor costs?
The facts cited certainly seem to give weight to an argument about the issue. Of course, that's assuming the facts are accurate, and that this is the actual issue being addressed - but in neither case is this true.
First, the facts..
Harvesting most of the food we eat? Not true. While there are certain crops that rely on hand labor - melons, strawberries, iceberg lettuce, avocados, for example - the majority of our crops - and our most important crops - are harvested mechanically and do not rely on illegal immigrant labor. Those mechanically harvested crops include wheat, and corn - the bases of so many of our foods - soybeans, onions, carrots, potatoes, and so on. The crops that illegal immigrants are involved with harvesting represent a small part of the U.S. farm economy.
Massive food shortages? Hardly. Some foods, yes. But the staples (and most important to our diet) would still be harvested, and while we may not have as many strawberries to put on our breakfast corn flakes or guacamole in which to dip our chips, we would still have that breakfast cereal and those chips (and bread, cookies, tofu, spaghetti ...) Also note that the crops harvested mechanically include the feed crops for cows and other farm animals, so meat and dairy products would not be affected.
Plus, the majority of farm workers are here legally; it's estimated that illegal immigrants represent about 25% of the total - and again, they are concentrated in certain states and with certain crops that are not staples.
Prices going up "so fast"? No, labor costs represent a small part of the overall cost of crops - one study I saw says that for apples - a N.Y. crop that uses farm labor for harvesting - labor costs are about 7% of the price; the rest is due to other expenses for growers, warehousing and shipping fees, and retailer's markup. So we are talking about one fourth of that 7% being affected - that comes to 1.75 percent of the cost - hardly a drastic jacking up of prices. And if this resulted in hiring more workers to offset the loss of the immigrants, the apple growers would likely have to increase wages, which, if passed on to consumers, might result in a 3% increase in price. Not outrageous - look how gas prices go up rapidly on a regular basis - and again, this is only for a crop that is not a staple and does not make up the bulk of what we consume.
As for the threat of low-paid grocery store workers losing their
jobs, that is already happening. Wegmans, Tops, and other grocery stores locally,
for example, as well as pharmacies and even the state Thruway tollbooths, have
already installed some self-check-out aisles. While it likely does have something to do with
cutting labor costs, there is nothing to indicate that it has anything to do
with the issue of illegal immigrants.
So the facts do not hold up.
Moreover, are you saying we should make moral/ethical decisions based on cost? Yes, some people do, but we view such decision-making in a negative light. And do you really want to accuse us of being among those people? I know I try to buy local rather than from large corporation, even though that might mean a few cents more in cost.
And what of the exploitation of those illegal immigrant workers? The low pay, the poor - even dangerous - working conditions, the lack of health care and Social Security and other benefits? People don't care? This seems a low opinion of people. I know I try to keep ethical considerations in deciding what to buy and consume.
Plus, this sounds like trying to justify hiring illegal workers to keep costs down to benefit us. That's one of the arguments supporters of slavery used to make to justify slave labor. Not good company.
Moreover, it's estimated that only 2-4% of illegal immigrants are involved in agricultural work - so this food cost argument is really a side issue. It's akin to the argument advanced by those who in support of legal abortion that we have to keep it legal because of instances of pregnancy due to rape and incest. They are using the extreme cases to justify abortion. Also not good company.
This flawed - and ultimately false - food cost argument simply does not really address the real issue of illegal immigration.
Some of my sources -
https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/09/illegal-immigration-american-farming-economic-myths-debunked/.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/low-paid-illegal-work-force-has-little-impact-on-prices/
Pax et bonum
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