Key Senate hurdle cleared for immigration

From Craig Regelbrugge, ANLA.org:

On Monday evening (June 24), the Senate’s immigration reform bill, S.744, cleared a major procedural hurdle as the Senate embraced the so-called “border surge” amendment authored by Sens. Corker (R-TN) and Hoeven (R-ND) on a vote of 67 to 27. Among Senators, Democrats were unified in support, while 15 Republican Senators also supported the amendment. This action sets the stage for a possible floor vote on the full bill as early as Thursday.

The Senate bill, while not perfect in anyone’s eyes, would bring extensive reforms to America’s legal immigration system, including programs of direct benefit to nursery, greenhouse, and landscape industry employers. It would augment border and interior enforcement, and ultimately put into place several “earned legal status” programs including special programs for young people brought to the U.S. as minors, and for agricultural workers.

ANLA and the Agricultural Workforce Coalition strongly support the bill. If the process falters and this legislation does not advance, the status quo will be one of worsening labor shortages, employer I-9 audits, more pressure on states to enact their own E-Verify mandates, and little hope of anything improving for at least several years. Though Senate passage of a good bill does not ensure a path in the House of Representatives, a strong Senate vote brings more momentum to the push to get something done.

How can you help? A brand new advocacy update video by ANLA’s Craig Regelbrugge offers three suggestions on how green industry professionals can help, right now.