WASHINGTON – In advance of the budget reconciliation vote-a-rama for the “Inflation Reduction Act,” American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) Action Co-Chairman Mike Fernandez and Executive Director Rebecca Shi issued the following statement:
“For the past two years, ABIC Action and our members have been working to advance serious immigration solutions to strengthen our economy and our global competitiveness. Punitive, hostile anti-immigrant amendments should be rejected. Packages of reforms like the Farm Workforce Modernization Act can address labor shortage, reduce inflation, and lower food prices for every American.
“ABIC calls on the U.S. Senate to consider serious, bipartisan immigration solutions that reduce inflation and to reject anti-immigrant messaging bills that have no place in this debate.”
Background
Last month, Texas A&M International University released data from a new economic study on the link between stabilizing the agricultural workforce and decreasing inflation and consumer prices, showing that ensuring farmers have a stable, secure, reliable, and legal workforce is crucial to keeping America’s grocery shelves stocked, combating inflation, and lowering food prices (including milk, eggs, meat, and produce) for all domestic consumers.
By addressing workforce shortages facing farm employers and stabilizing the H-2A visa application process, Congress can address inflation, lower food prices, ensure grocery store shelves remain stocked, and enhance our national food security by protecting domestic agriculture production. Reform to our immigration and guest worker program is long overdue. Farmers and their employees need a system that provides long-term stability. It is time we find a solution that works for all.
ABOUT
ABIC Action is the political arm of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), a bipartisan coalition of over 1,200+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across 17 mostly red and purple states. ABIC Action promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens.