Has the time finally arrived for immigration reform?
In remarks to Congress on April 28, President Joe Biden outlined his sprawling “American Jobs Plan” and signaled immigration reform is a top priority for his administration.
In his speech, Biden described his aim to pass the largest jobs plan since World War Two.
“It creates jobs to upgrade our transportation infrastructure; jobs modernizing our roads, bridges, highways; jobs building ports and airports, rail corridors, transit lines,” Biden said.
Biden also called for Congress to pass immigration reform.
“For more than 30 years, politicians have talked about immigration reform, and we’ve done nothing about it. It’s time to fix it,” he said.
Among several priorities that Biden wants in immigration legislation, Biden said any fix should include a “a pathway to citizenship for farmworkers who put food on our tables.”
“Look, immigrants have done so much for America during this pandemic and throughout our history,” he said. “The country supports immigration reform. We should act. Let’s argue over it, let’s debate it, but let’s act.”
In a statement, Robert Guenther, senior vice president of policy for the United Fresh Produce Association, said thanked Biden for his recognition of the importance of immigration reform for agriculture.
“By raising the importance of passing the agricultural immigration reform during his address to the nation, President Biden has made it crystal clear, that this issue which has vexed agriculture for decades, can and must be addressed immediately by the U. S. Senate in the same bipartisan manner that enabled it to pass the House of Representatives,” Guenther said in the statement. “United Fresh looks forward to continuing to work with the Biden administration and the Congress to have meaningful immigration reform signed into law this year.”
