Immigration Law Hits Hispanic Workers

The sound of people speaking Spanish echoes over this field of sweet potatoes.  About 22 Hispanic workers are making their wages at Penry farms today.

“Everyone's just in a holding pattern waiting to see what's going to happen,” says VP of Penry Farms Inc. Daniel Penry.  He says he's following the law and he hasn’t seen any of his workers flee the state yet, but he believes the new immigration law will scare away workers.

“I just wish that Alabama would wake up and just see what this law is going to do to human beings,” says Penry.  Penry's brave--talk to most farmers about the immigration law and you'll get people who tell you what they think but don’t want to talk on camera.  I talked to dozens of farmers, nursery owners and others that hire Hispanic labor--most said there are fewer workers out there--but they don't want to talk about it on TV.

“Cause I guess we don't want any more trouble, we already have enough paperwork trying to stay legal, this is just another layer added to it,” says one Baldwin County Nursery owner who asked to remain anonymous.  He says he’s seen the Hispanic labor force at other local businesses leave. 

“I know a lot of cement workers, landscapers that don't have the labor anymore; they've gone to other states where the labor law isn't as strict.”  Some worry they won't have the workforce they need and many times immigrants seem to be the only ones willing to work long hours in the field.