Vilsack, White House release report stressing rural benefits of immigration reform
July 29, 2013 | 03:54 PM
In a sign that the White House recognizes the importance of gaining rural support for immigration reform, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released a report citing the need for immigration reform to benefit agriculture and praising the Senate-passed comprehensive reform bill.
“This is a very, very important report being issued today,” Vilsack said in a media call. He noted that the report is available on the White House and USDA websites and should be of interest to members of the House of Representatives who are still considering immigration reform legislation.
“It is up to the House to pass a comprehensive bill or a series of bills that would equate to a comprehensive bill,” Vilsack said. He noted that the report includes a chart highlighting the impact of immigration reform in each of the 50 states. (See link below.)
If the immigration system is not reformed, he said, there will be reductions in agricultural production that “over time will put [the nation’s] food security at risk.” Farmers in some areas have already reported that they have reduced production due to lack of labor.
It is rare, Vilsack noted, for a coalition backing legislation to be as broad as one backing immigration reform, which includes the ALF-CIO, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, liberal groups and evangelical ministers.
“There is no excuse not to get it done,” he added.
“It is time for the Republican leadership in the House to act to fix the broken immigration system in a way that requires responsibility from everyone — both from workers here illegally and from those who hire them — and guarantees that everyone is playing by the same rules,” the White House said in a news release announcing the report.
Most of the report consists of data that has been previously released, but there are a number of new analytical points:
“This is a very, very important report being issued today,” Vilsack said in a media call. He noted that the report is available on the White House and USDA websites and should be of interest to members of the House of Representatives who are still considering immigration reform legislation.
“It is up to the House to pass a comprehensive bill or a series of bills that would equate to a comprehensive bill,” Vilsack said. He noted that the report includes a chart highlighting the impact of immigration reform in each of the 50 states. (See link below.)
If the immigration system is not reformed, he said, there will be reductions in agricultural production that “over time will put [the nation’s] food security at risk.” Farmers in some areas have already reported that they have reduced production due to lack of labor.
It is rare, Vilsack noted, for a coalition backing legislation to be as broad as one backing immigration reform, which includes the ALF-CIO, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, liberal groups and evangelical ministers.
“There is no excuse not to get it done,” he added.
“It is time for the Republican leadership in the House to act to fix the broken immigration system in a way that requires responsibility from everyone — both from workers here illegally and from those who hire them — and guarantees that everyone is playing by the same rules,” the White House said in a news release announcing the report.
Most of the report consists of data that has been previously released, but there are a number of new analytical points:
- Rising farm worker wages are a sign of labor scarcity.
- Farm and ranches that employ immigrants have a large impact on the rural economy because they buy fertilizer and seed, invest in farm machinery, contract the services of custom operators, and support the many local businesses that serve farms and farm families, including restaurants and retailers. High levels of production also benefit businesses like grain elevators, biofuel refineries, and processed food manufacturers.
- With a decline in the native-born population, rural communities are increasingly dependent on immigrants for growth.
- Trends in the agriculture sector – due in part to growing domestic demand for fresh fruit and vegetables year-round – indicate that farm workers are increasingly settling permanently in places where they previously worked temporarily, increasing consumer demand for all products and for homes.
- For rural communities struggling to attract new businesses and economic activity, the bipartisan Senate bill also reforms and makes permanent the EB-5 immigrant investor program that grants permanent resident status to foreigners who invest above a minimum threshold in new job-creating commercial enterprises in the United States.
- The Senate bill would help improve rural health care by making a number of improvements to the Conrad 30 program, which allows foreign-born medical doctors to waive certain residency requirement if these doctors choose to work in areas with special needs for at least three years.
