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Dairy group optimistic as Biden sends immigration proposal to Congress
A dairy organization that has been working towards a legal alternative for year-round foreign labor says President Biden has already sent his immigration reform package to Congress.
Laurie Fischer with the American Dairy Coalition says their board hasn’t examined the language of the complete Biden bill or taken a position on it, but, “This is such a great start for us, especially for those that are currently here in the U.S.”
Fischer says some of the Biden bill details are known. “They would have to make sure that they take a civics exam so they understand our civics structure. They would have to pay any taxes were due, and then they also would need a background check.”
Fischer tells Brownfield she is cautiously optimistic because there are other provisions in the bill besides what the agriculture sector is interested in. ” We find from our members and their employees that they’re not necessarily interested in the citizenship, so we have focused on primarily legal status.”
Fischer says the Biden bill as written would allow about 2.4 million qualifying immigrants who have been in the U.S. as of January 1st to receive green cards and then full citizenship status within eight years. It would also increase labor law penalties for employers. She says it is unclear if there are enough votes to pass Biden’s proposal, even though Democrats control both the House and Senate.
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