Immigration laws dry up farming work force

Emerging from the offices of a Midwestern senator last Friday, Sharon Hughes and Bruce Goldstein made for an unlikely couple. Hughes is the chief lobbyist for a coalition of agribusiness interests. Goldstein is a longtime advocate for farm worker rights. For much of the past two decades, the two were on opposite sides of the negotiating table.

Now they are allies in a heated, and hurried, campaign to pass legislation offering legal status to more than 1.2 million immigrant workers. They face tough opposition from members of Congress who favor strict restrictions on immigration.