Latest News From Immigration

The debate over immigration continues to be an issue in Washington. However, the Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor shows economists are still skeptical it's enough for Congress to act on immigration reform.

Mexican President López Obrador hosted President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau this week to discuss everything from methane reduction to the U.S./Mexico border wall.

President Biden traveled on Sunday to the U.S./Mexico border amid a surge in illegal border crossings. The administration announced a new program for up to 30,000 migrants a month to enter the U.S. legally.

As we look ahead to a new year, farmers are facing some continuing headwinds. One is the high cost and availability of a consistent workforce.

President Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador are meeting Tuesday as both face a surge in migration. They are expected to announce multiyear, joint projects to modernize border infrastructure.

More than 60 ag groups telling the Biden Administration on Monday the nearly 7,000 South African farm workers should be exempted from restrictions related to the Omicron variant. 

A second bill to change the H-2A guest worker program has been introduced in the House. This version would move oversight from the Department of Labor to USDA.

While the American Farm Bureau Federation recognizes an ag labor solution is an urgent need, they saw some key issues with the House bill they hope to resolve in the Senate.

On Wednesday, 34 Republicans joined 226 Democrats passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 5038).

Producers look at Washington to see if any farm labor or immigration laws will be passed to help the ag industry. Fair Oaks Farms in Northern Indiana, is moving towards robots for the very reason.

Fair Oaks Farms co-founder and owner sits down for a one-on-one interview. It's been nearly six months since the farm's reputation was stung after animal activists released undercover videos of alleged animal abuse.

The Trump administration proposed new immigration rules Monday for temporary agricultural workers that officials said would make it easier for employers to apply for the visas.

Shutting down access to the U.S.-Mexico border could impact a relationship between the largest buyer of dairy exports which has two dairy cooperatives concerned.

Shutting down access to the U.S.-Mexico border could impact a relationship between the largest buyer of dairy exports which has two dairy cooperatives concerned.

President Trump brought his fight to build a border wall to the 100th Annual Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual meeting in New Orleans, La. on Monday.

There are a slew of regulations now in California with the start of the new year. Regulations which will impact farmers and how many hours and how much pay farm workers will receive in the state.

Kelly Fortier, a farm immigration attorney with the firm Michael Best, will be speaking at the 2019 Executive Women in Agriculture conference to help employers understand what they need to know about immigrant labor.

The proposed border wall between Mexico and the United States threatens to cut through a ranch that has belonged to the Cavazos family for 250 years.

Labor scarcity and wage inflation threaten the rural economy and put additional stress on the profitability of agriculture industry according to a study by CoBank.

The death of Mollie Tibbetts, allegedly at the hands of a migrant farm worker, has heightened the attention on labor shortages in agriculture and the use of immigrant workers to fill those voids.

This week, Republicans in the House of Representatives released a new immigration bill to benefit agriculture.

Setting market prices aside, one of the greatest challenges farmers face is agriculture labor. Given the current political atmosphere, there is a large amount of concern around guest worker programs.

Separating immigrant families at the border and removing calves from dairy cows are one in the same according to one of the country’s largest animal rights groups.

In any event, AG Jobs was not part of final package.

As the number of unemployed Americas hit a near 44-year low this week, the number of H-2A visa requests have more than doubled.

Administrations working together to modernize H-2A visa program.

Following a raid without a warrant, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt it's "reckless and unconstitutional practices."

Dairy producers have a lot on their minds, and Michelle Rook is at the Central Plains Dairy Expo talking MPP, immigration and low milk prices.

Senate leaders announced a two-year budget deal on Wednesday that will keep the government funded through March 23 and modify the safety nets for cotton and dairy.

Touting success in securing tax reform and cutting regulations in his first year in office, President Trump vowed progress on infrastructure and immigration policy during his first State of the Union Address.

President Donald Trump sounded a nationalist tone in his 'America First' State of the Union address. How will that impact ag trade and labor?

As government shutdown looms, the budget standoff is linked to another issue important to agriculture: immigration.

Business Lobby Risks Clash With Trump on Trade, Immigration 

Changing demographics in rural America present on-going challenges

A judge has accepted a guilty plea in an investigation of illegal labor at dairies in Michigan's Thumb region.

Growers and dairies lobby for a path to legalization for the undocumented workers who power their businesses.

More than two dozen protesters on Monday showed support for two immigrant dairy farmers arrested after marching to a Ben & Jerry's factory to call for better pay and living conditions on farms that provide milk to the ice cream maker.

Farmers across the country have concerns about the Trump Administration's immigration policy. The most proactive thing you can do as an employer to avoid immigration fines or penalties is to audit your I-9 forms.

Puerto Ricans could ease South Dakota dairy labor shortage

The manager of an Idaho dairy named in a human trafficking lawsuit declined to comment on the allegations Thursday, saying they hadn't yet been notified of the legal action.

Six veterinarians who say they were recruited from Mexico to work at the Idaho dairy farm as animal scientists, but were instead forced to work as laborers, milking cows and shoveling manure for about a year.

With a little more than two weeks before the presidential elections, campaigns for both Donald Trump-R and Hillary Clinton-D are representing the candidates on issues facing agriculture.

A global glut of milk is now in the market, but dairy producers worry immigration and farm labor issues could dry up milk supply.

The Supreme Court's split decision on immigration last week is only ratcheting up commentary this election cycle. It is also creating unease for those operations that rely on immigrant labor.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Barack Obama's plan to spare millions of immigrants in the country illegally from deportation in a split ruling that heartened political foes who had accused him of o

Farmers want Republican front-runner to understand the importance of immigrant labor to the nation’s food security. 

Many in the U.S., including dairy farmers, are paying close attention to the immigration portion of the presidential contest.

Rally at state Capitol opposes anti-immigrant legislation. 

Areas of intense dairy production are not seeing the influx they did a decade ago.

Urgent need for comprehensive immigration, NMPF president says