National and state farm leaders have lined up in support of the immigration overhaul bill now pending in Congress, saying a major part of the state’s economy is at stake in the debate.
Senate Bill 744 would make it easier for the state’s $71.1 billion agricultural industry – Georgia’s largest — to hire foreign guest workers. Georgia farmers say they rely heavily on migrant Hispanic laborers because many Americans won’t do physically taxing work in the fields.
In a meeting with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters and editors Thursday, the presidents of the American Farm Bureau Federation and Georgia Farm Bureau confirmed they back the legislation and are part of a national campaign to build support for it in Congress.
Also Thursday, a coalition of religious leaders called the Evangelical Immigration Table announced a $250,000 media ad campaign in support of a bipartisan immigration overhaul. One of the radio ads featuring Cynthia Hale, senior pastor at Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, was scheduled to begin airing in Georgia this week.
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