Tough new immigration restrictions in Colorado have farmers worried that they will lose up to half their migrant farmworkers this season. In response, many farmers are signing up for a program that will put prison inmates to work in their fields.
    The pilot program by the Colorado Corrections Department will send up to 100 supervised, low-risk inmates to private vegetable farms in Pueblo County. The inmates, who volunteered for the work, will be paid 60 cents a day. The farm owners will pay the state for the prison guards who will watch over them, and some farmers said the overall cost will be higher than the cost of migrant workers.
    But farmers said they had no choice. Since the Colorado legislature last year passed what it called the nation’s toughest laws against illegal immigration, many industries in the state have faced a labor shortage as migrants go elsewhere for work. The new laws give local law enforcement broader powers to check immigration status, and they restrict access to social services for workers without proper documentation.
    Farmer Joe Pisciotta was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying he signed up for the prisoner program because he wanted to be sure before planting that he would be able to harvest his 700 acres of watermelons, onions and pumpkins. Pisciotta said he hoped the program highlighted what he viewed as the absurdity of Colorado’s position — dependent on immigrant labor but trying to chase migrants away.

    Meanwhile, new federal proposals will impose tougher restrictions on employers who hire migrant workers. In recent months, the Department of Homeland Security has been sending employers “no-match” letters indicating that some employees’ documentation isn’t consistent with the agency records. Currently, the employer can just give the letter to the employee and let the employee resolve the problem. But a proposal from DHS would require employers to rectify the errors within 63 days. If unable to do so, the employer would have to choose between firing the employee or risking a violation of federal law.