NORTH COUNTY -- Leaders within the San Diego County agriculture community say the industry has a lot riding on how federal lawmakers choose to deal with illegal immigration and security concerns at the country's border with Mexico.

Fruit and vegetable production in San Diego County would drop by about 40 percent if a guest worker program is not included in legislation being hammered out in Congress, according to Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau.

Larson, who made that statement recently at a Carlsbad City Council meeting, said his estimate is based on a national study done by the American Farm Bureau.

Migrant workers help fill the farming industry's need for seasonal employees.

A guest-worker program would allow an agricultural employer to legally bring in workers when there are not enough willing or available workers to take those jobs, according to Luawanna Hallstrom, co-chairwoman of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform and an officer of the National Council of Agricultural Employers.

Without such a program, and in the face of tougher immigration laws, farms are suffering, industry leaders have said.

Policy in the works

Hallstrom cited a recent U.S. government survey that said 55 percent of the farm fieldworkers asked about their legal work status voluntarily admitted to being in the country illegally.

Crackdowns in border security, the high-profile presence of the Minutemen at the United States-Mexico border, and stepped-up checks on employers who may be hiring undocumented workers have already taken a toll on farming, Hallstrom also said.

"Right now, California farmers are managing with 40 to 50 percent fewer workers than usual," she said.

Hallstrom said the majority of growers, farmers and nursery owners hire workers who have documentation, and do not intentionally hire people with false documentation.

"You have to take their documents at face value or else you could be accused of discrimination," said Hallstrom, also the general manager of her family-owned company, Harry Singh & Sons. The company produces vine-ripened tomatoes.

"Here lies the need for a comprehensive policy that includes a guest-worker program with a positive ID system, enforcement and border security enhancements," she added.

Proposed legislation designed to address border security and other immigration-related issues has surfaced over the past year and a half, and the debate over illegal immigration has become a key component in several political campaigns.

Two bills are up for consideration by federal lawmakers: House Bill 4437, which focuses on border enforcement; and Senate Bill 2611, which focuses on enforcement, a program to help the illegal workers transition to a legal employment status, and a guest-worker program.

Nearly two months ago, after the Senate approved Senate Bill 2611, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives called for several hearings, including one held Aug. 2 in San Diego.

House Republican leaders have said the hearings are aimed at pointing out for the public the differences between the House and Senate bills.

Impact on region

Agriculture continues to be a heavyweight in the region's fiscal health, pouring $5.1 billion into San Diego County's economy in 2004, according to the latest report from the county's Department of Agriculture, Weights & Measures.

That makes agriculture the county's fifth-largest industry, as reported by the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce.

The need for seasonal workers -- and a legal way to get them here -- is crucial to the health of the agricultural industry, leaders have said.

"Growers with tomato and strawberry crops can't hire workers year-round, and they are very dependent on their work force," said Larson, the county farm bureau chief.

If a guest-worker program doesn't materialize, the tomato and strawberry farms would be the first affected, he said.

Avocado and citrus growers may see a dip in production later, because they rely less on short-term workers, he said. The longer harvest allows those growers to offer employees nearly year-round work.

Larson also said that "without a guest-worker program, farm fieldworkers might switch over to one of the industries in which the pay is higher than agriculture -- such as hospitality and construction."

Talking to a lawmaker

In an interview Thursday, 50th District Republican Congressman Brian Bilbray said he believes the agriculture community has good cause to ask for a guest worker program. He cited some of the points that Larson mentioned in a separate interview.

"Agriculture has credibility on the issue that other industries don't have," Bilbray said. "There's a possibility of there being a carve-out for agriculture.

"But in order for a guest worker program to work, there needs to be interior enforcement, meaning that we need a single way to crack down on illegal employment (of illegal immigrants). We need to set up a very sensible, enforceable employer verification system."

Hallstrom said it should be more than a possibility that there is a guest-worker program for agriculture: "It's a given."

At the same time, Bilbray said having employed illegal immigrants to do farm work for many years "does not vest you with a right because the industry is dependent.

"It's absolutely essential that those who've broken the law not be rewarded. There's got to be some sort of basic standard," he said. "Anyone who is here illegally needs to go home and apply legally for immigration status. Play by the rules. If you don't play by the rules, you will not be rewarded."

Sending illegal immigrant workers to their native countries to apply for legal immigration status is "ridiculous," Hallstrom said when asked to respond to Bilbray's comments.

"These are essential workers," Hallstrom said. "You just can't whisk 12 million people out of our country and our economy. We need to find a mechanism to help them transition to a legal employment status. And we have to do this in a way that makes sense and that is humane."

- Contact staff writer Lorell Fleming at (760) 731-5798 or at lfleming@nctimes.com.