Posted February 28, 2014
 
Over 600 groups, including 154 agricultural organizations are calling on House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) to act on immigration reform, according to an article by Farm Futures available here.
 
In a letter to Speaker Boehner sent earlier this week, the groups said that failure to act is “not an option.”  “We cannot afford to be content and watch a dysfunctional immigration system work against our overall national interest.  In short, immigration reform is an essential element of a jobs agenda and economic growth.  It will add talent, innovation, investment, products, businesses, jobs and dynamism to our economy,” the letter continued.
 
The letter follows a recent social media campaign by the Partnership for a New American Economy, the Agricultural Workforce Coalition, the American Farm Bureau Federation and more than 70 other agricultural groups to push for immigration reforms.  The campaign is called #IFarmImmigration.
 
Kristi Boswell, AFBF farm labor specialist, said “The House needs to act this year…We can’t wait any longer.”
 
President Obama also pushed for immigration reform this year in the State of the Union address, according to an AgWeb article available here.
 
Boehner said he “made a pitch for immigration reform at the GOP retreat,” but was “outnumbered 3 to 1 in moving the issue forward.”

 

For more information on agricultural labor issues, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
 
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