FOX 9’s Adam Klepp told a local expert that the benefits far outweigh the challenges.

Yuma, Arizona (KECY, KYMA) – Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Yuma Tours made learning from the locals a priority.

Wednesday’s program group included a panel to hear about Yuma’s main economic driver, the agricultural industry.

Local growers rely on migrant workers to harvest their crops, but Phil Townsend said employers often find it difficult to get past government regulations.

“If you’re designated to harvest cauliflower, you can’t use them to harvest lettuce,” Townsend says.

Townsend also added that under the H-2A program, employers must provide housing for all field workers, even if they want to commute from Mexico every day.

While he hopes Congress can resolve these issues, he added that the benefits of the H-2A far outweigh the challenges.

Mr Townsend said, “The best legal people who come across the border are doing great service to their communities and to the nation.”

While the H-2A workers are in the fields, their children attend school in Yuma.

New challenges arise as the growing season does not coincide with the school calendar.

“There are 1,500 to 2,000 students entering the system in October and leaving in March or April,” said Yuma Union High School District Superintendent Gina Thompson.

Thompson said that despite the challenges, all students in the district had a strong education and adding diversity to the school would make it even stronger.

“Yuma is a really special place. I think our public school system really highlights all the different talents that our students have,” Thompson said.