Agricultural Personnel Management Program
University of California

2/18/00 News Report -- Associated Press

CARBONDALE, Colo. (AP) - The Immigration and Naturalization Service's
stepped up enforcement in western Colorado is making employee shortages
there even worse, critics say.

Employee-wanted ads now fill three pages of the weekly Valley Journal in
Carbondale, a growing tourist-oriented area.

About a third of Carbondale's population is Hispanic, and an estimated 60
to 65 percent of them may be working in the area illegally, The Denver Post
reported Thursday. After the INS announced plans to locate a new
quick-response team in Carbondale to deal with the large number of illegal
workers, a number of both legal and illegal workers left the area.

"A lot have left. Many have sold properties," said Jesus Eloy, president of
Latinos Unidos, a Hispanic advocacy group.

Speaking through an interpreter, Eloy said even though zoning codes
prevented the INS from moving into a downtown office, people are still
worried because more agents are working in the Interstate 70 corridor in
western Colorado. In the first several weeks the INS presence was
increased, 71 undocumented workers were picked up and returned to Mexico.

"The Latino community is preoccupied with this," Eloy said.

Residents brought their complaints to Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., during a
town meeting in Carbondale.

Allard supported legislation to put new INS offices in Carbondale, Craig,
Durango, Alamosa and Brush. Activists in Durango have complained about that
office.

Allard said he also voted to allow more immigrant workers to come into the
country on temporary work permits. Those permits, called H2A for
agricultural workers and H2B for business workers, are supposed to keep a
steady supply of foreign workers for harvests and other strong labor needs.

Barton Porter, a lifelong Garfield County rancher, said the current laws do
not allow enough workers into the country to do jobs that many Americans do
not want to do.

"I don't think this country would operate without these people," Burton
said. "We can't hire a white man on our ranch no matter how much pay we
offer."

Carbondale Mayor Randy Vanderhurst told Allard that he would like to see
the INS offer more help to illegal workers rather than just catching them
and sending them home.

"It would be important for us to have administrative services along with
the criminal part," Vanderhurst said. "We need help for those who want to
achieve legal status."