WASHINGTON D.C. (March 26, 2015) — A panel of experts will discuss the critical relationship between immigration reform, agriculture and wider economic growth on Tuesday, March 31, noon to 1:30 p.m., at the American Immigration Council, 1331 G Street NW, Washington D.C. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the American Immigration Council and Farm Journal Foundation are partnering to bring this important discussion forward.
Join American Immigration Council Executive Director Ben Johnson on Tuesday as he moderates the following for a panel discussion:
Stephanie Mercier, senior policy and advocacy adviser, Farm Journal Foundation
Adrienne DerVartanian, director of immigration and labor rights, Farmworker Justice
Craig Regelbrugge, vice president, AmericanHort
The event is free and lunch is provided. Register by March 30.
The panel will discuss U.S. agriculture’s dependence on immigrant labor, immigration reform efforts and recommendations on new legislation to address challenges, building on a Chicago Council report that outlined policy solutions to meet the unique, year-round labor needs of Midwest agriculture.
“I anticipate that this panel will shed some light on why comprehensive immigration reform is essential to U.S. agriculture,” said panelist Stephanie Mercier, whose report, Employing Agriculture: How the Midwest Farm Sector Relies on Immigrant Labor, was the basis for the event. “If this effort is eventually pursued on a piecemeal basis ‑ as some have suggested ‑ the sequence of the various legislative pieces will matter greatly. For example, adopting mandatory E-verify before reforming the H2-A temporary agricultural worker program would leave large numbers of U.S. farmers short of the workers they need to care for their animals or harvest their crops.”
Follow the event on social media with #EmployingAg. For more information, visit http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/event/help-wanted-immigration-and-agricultural-sector
