NMPF’s Mulhern Reiterates Need for Real Reform in Wake of Executive Order on Immigration
December 4, 2014
In the wake of the Obama administration’s action last month to delay deportation for up to five million undocumented immigrants, NMPF joined other agriculture groups in re-emphasizing the need for comprehensive reform of the broken immigration system.
“The executive action announced by the White House will not solve the current or future needs of dairy farmers,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern in a statement. “We still need congressional action in 2105.”
Mulhern said NMPF’s focus going forward will remain on securing a permanent fix for the nation’s immigration laws. “Regardless of the executive order, we must continue pressing for a long-term, meaningful solution that provides permanent relief for current workers and future labor needs,” he said. “It is imperative that Congress address this issue in 2015 and resolve it, once and for all.”
President Obama’s mid-November order didn’t specifically address agriculture, but a small fraction of undocumented U.S. farm workers – estimates range from 250,000 to 450,000 – will still be eligible for work permits and deportation relief under the plan. Republicans in Congress are expected to counteract the White House action, although the precise mean to challenge the immigration action remains to be seen.
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