In his own words: Jonathan Scharfen of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Tracee M. Herbaugh

Published July 31, 2008 at 10:56 p.m.
Updated August 1, 2008 at 1:53 a.m.

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With growers unable to find enough workers to plant, care for and pick their crops, there is pressure to improve the process of giving out temporary worker visas.

Jonathan Scharfen, acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services who was in Denver on Thursday for a naturalization ceremony, said his office hopes to improve the H-2A program, designed to allow foreign workers into the United States for seasonal or temporary work:

"We recognize that farmers, in particular, have been unhappy with the current temporary worker program as it applies to their business of farming, under the H-2A program. We are looking to try to streamline those regulations and looking to make the regulations as user-friendly as possible so that the farmers can use it more easily.

"However, caps on the agricultural workers, that's a matter of statute and that's for Congress to address. That would require legislation rather than just a change in the regulations, which is something we can do. But there's only so much we can do in terms of that program short of legislation."

• July 31, 2008

  11:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  redwhiteandBLUE writes:

  What a betrayal to the American people.
  How many millions do we need ?

• August 1, 2008

  11:44 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  sheepherder writes:

  How many imported slaves do we need?

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