Immigration crackdown worries Vidalia onion county

LYONS - Signs point to an exodus of migrant workers in Georgia's rural Vidalia onion country now that the state has passed a get-tough law on illegal immigrants.

It could affect the state's Vidalia onion crop, which needs intense labor for planting and harvesting. The vegetables can be bruised or damaged by machines.

Farmworker Alfredo Perez says he arrived illegally from Mexico three years ago. He travels between Florida, Michigan and Georgia working on farms. He says he'll think twice about coming back to Georgia because of the new law.

Farmer Delbert Bland is one of the largest sweet-onion growers in the country. His farmworkers get visas allowing them to legally enter the country. But he's worried that if local police enforce immigration laws, it could scare off even legal Latino workers.