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.
