State agrees to check farmhands, but legal work force not assured

SHANNON DININNY; The Associated Press Published: October 9th, 2008 12:30 AM YAKIMA – Washington state officials say they have agreed to screen potential farmhands for immigration violations before referring them to jobs, after the federal government threatened to cut millions of dollars from a program that matches workers with jobs. However, state officials said they still won’t use a federal verification system to confirm that farmworkers’ documents are valid, and farm groups say the state’s concession does little to ensure a legal work force for farmers. “They’re not going to find out any more than a farmer if the worker is actually legal,” Dan Fazio, director of employer services for the Washington Farm Bureau, said Wednesday. The dispute centers on the federal H-2A guest-worker program, which allows farmers to recruit... [read full story]