Word came down late last week that at least five Vermont Dairy Farms have been served with subpoenas from the Immigration Enforcement Agency (ICE). The subpoenas are part of an I-9 audit that is being conducted on the dairy farms. An I-9 audit is a review of a company’s documentation concerning its employee’s authorization to work in the United States.
The audits have caused much angst in the state as many dairy farms in Vermont (and across the nation) are unable to find local American workers who are willing to do the arduous manual labor required on farms. These farmers are forced to turn to those workers who are willing to do the manual work – immigrants. Whether an immigrant is authorized to work is a question that these farmers must address when hiring these workers – and a question that is probably not the easiest to answer.
The shortage of American workers willing to work on dairy farms has even caused Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to conclude that he would be willing to support a guest worker program for dairy farmers. Senator Sanders is not a fan of a guest worker program in general.