immigration

“This bill is kind of a marker, it starts the discussion and I'm hoping that we can make some needed updates to it before final passage,” said Representative Dan Newhouse, after he and California’s Zoe Lofgren reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act on Wednesday.  He said  reintroducing th...

As growers across the Northwest prepare for the 2025 season, questions regarding immigration crackdowns linger.  Enrique Gastelum, Executive Director of WAFLA said while there have not been workplace targeted raids, that doesn't mean farm workers aren’t worried.  And when farm...

Canadian reaction to the news that Donald Trump will return to the White House has been mixed.  Certainly, the president-elect’s protectionist stance is casting a spotlight on what effects his return will have on Canadian-American economic ties.  Prime Mi...

Immigration is a hot buttoned issue not only locally, but nationally as well.  What impact are those conversation and policy discussions having on tree fruit producers across the Northwest?  We put that question before Mark Powers with the Northwest Horticultural Council.     I...

Last week, WAFLA announced it is working with Stanford University to research the economic and social outcomes for farmworkers who migrate from Mexico.  In this pilot project, Stanford researchers will speak with and compare the experiences of farmworkers who remain in Mexico and those who participate in the H-2A program via WAFLA.  Scott D...

Four of the five Republicans running for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District took to a virtual stage, last week. Those that participated agreed on a number of issues, including preserving gun rights and cutting off pandemic spending. Whe ...

As lawmakers start a new year in Washington D.C., one of the biggest questions the farming community is hoping to see addressed revolves around Ag labor and immigration reform. Dan Newhouse, coauthor of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, said despite passing the House, the legislation has stalled in the Senate, primarily because President Biden’s Build Back Better contains some provisions to a

The American Farm Bureau Federation recently joined all 50 state Farm Bureaus and Puerto Rico Farm Bureau in sending a letter urging the Biden administration to address the surge of undocumented immigrants entering the United States. The letter went to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as well as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ...

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act recently passed recently by the House of Representatives would give dairy farmers much needed greater access to foreign labor. The National Milk Producers Federation's Chris Galen said House passage of the bill provides momentum towards addressing dairy’s labor needs. ...

On Wednesday, Dan Newhouse, Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, joined other lawmakers on the steps of the U.S. capital, calling for “real, commonsense immigration reform”. Newhouse threw his support behind Florida Representative María Elvira Salazar’s Dignity Proposal. Newhouse said the prop ...