iMarch For Immigration Pt 1
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. iMarch for Immigration is a nationwide 'virtual march' for immigration reform that has the support of leaders from across the spectrum. New American Economy hosted a teleconference on the matter Wednesday that included Jon Wyss of the Okanogan Farm Bureau and the Washington Growers League's Mike Gempler who says the time to act is now ...MIKE GEMPLER ... "We've been working on it for a long time, but it's a very present issue for us. It's the number one issue in agriculture in survey after survey, amongst our members, amongst the labor-intensive agriculture industries here in this state. We feel that we have a lot of support in Congress for making changes in both parties."
Gempler says we need to strike while the iron is hot ...
MIKE GEMPLER ... "We really do have an opportunity to address the many different facets of this problem. The existing workforce as well as what the future will bring as far as having a supplemental labor force come into Washington state as our state experiences record low unemployment and a deteriorating agricultural workforce."
Asked why now, Gempler says ...
MIKE GEMPLER ... "Clearly, we're reaching a point of concern and deadline with regard to DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and I think that's triggering a lot of the action right now and it really is a starting point for addressing the larger immigration issue."
Listen tomorrow for more the current targets of this immigration reform campaign.