Latest News From Immigration

The Supreme Court’s split decision on immigration last week is only ratcheting up commentary this election cycle. It is also creating unease for those operations that rely on immigrant labor.

Mark Diederichs wiped a splatter of manure from his arm as four Hispanic workers guided the next 44 cows into stalls, swabbed each animal’s teats with neon-blue disinfectant and attached computer-controlled milking-machine units.

The death of meaningful U.S. immigration reform, done in by Washington partisanship and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s incendiary comments on foreigners, is leaving crops withering in the field and the farm lobby with nowhere to turn as a labor shortage intensifies.

CNN’s recent presidential town hall in Wisconsin offered a chance to hear Republican candidates’ thoughts on agricultural issues, in particular immigration, labor and trade.

A political deal to raise California's minimum wage to a nation-leading $15 an hour could help some workers cope with the state's crushing cost of living but also deprive other low-wage earners of jobs altogether.

Small-business owners struck back against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to implement a $15 minimum wage Tuesday, saying the Democratic governor's call to enact what would be the highest state minimum in the country would devastate an already struggling economy.

Dairy farmers say they’re fed up with the posturing of presidential candidates who don’t understand the importance of immigrant labor to milk producers.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he supports allowing undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S. without gaining citizenship, and that he doesn’t believe mass deportation, an idea promoted by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is feasible.

A federal administrative law judge has upheld the findings of a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

Myths of immigration reform.

Estimates of how many farm workers are undocumented vary—the U.S.Department of Agriculture, using 2012 Census data, found that 41 percent of farm workers are either documented or undocumented immigrants, but advocacy groups like United Farm Workers estimate the number could be closer to 70 percent.  

A recent dairy labor study found that a reduction of immigrant workers would lead to a doubling of retail milk price, costing the U.S. economy more than $32 billion.

Instead of granting a temporary work visa to foreign laborers as existing programs do, it would give permits to people already residing in California without authorization and working in agriculture.

In Washington, immigration reform may be a political issue, but in the agricultural industry, it offers an answer to the challenge of finding legal labor to work on dairies, livestock operations, and fruit and vegetable farms.

U.S. immigration policies are failing to serve the ag sector and those shortcomings are especially acute in the Midwest.

There is nothing in President Barack Obama's recently announced package of executive actions on immigration that directly reassures farmers and ranchers they'll have efficient access to foreign-born labor.

In the State of the Union address, President Obama pushed immigration reform to the top of his to-do list this year.

Agricultural operations face increased federal scrutiny of worker classification, which should motivate farmers to carefully document labor, experts say.

In a 67-27 vote, the U.S. Senate advanced the costliest plan ever to bolster border security--a plan that will ultimately cost $38 billion.

Former deputy ag secretary Kathleen Merrigan highlights the top non-farm-bill issues that are currently impacting agriculture.

Movement in both the House and Senate on revising U.S. immigration law belies a long-running rift between business and labor that could derail the bill.

The revised I-9 compliance form went into effect May 7, 2013.