Amid growing concern about possible immigration raids on farms, the American Dairy Coalition is floating a new program that would allow states to sponsor their own foreign workers.
A statement on the ADC's website blasts the federal government's handling of immigration issues, saying Washington has "consistently shown itself incapable of predicting the labor needs of the states, and states have more local knowledge of the types of workers and immigrants that they need."
The plan would allow states to sponsor immigrants in the same way employers do now.
The ADC proposal would give each state 2,500 visas, and a share of a pool of 125,000 visas.
A 2015 study by Texas A&M University researchers - funded by industry group National Milk Producers Federation - said that eliminating migrant labor would reduce U.S. milk production by 48.4 billion pounds, shut down thousands of farms and result in a loss of more than 200,000 jobs.
Read More:
- Farmers Supported Trump. His Proposals Have Them Thinking Again (Huffington Post)
- ADC on Immigration Reform (American Dairy Coalition)
