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A petition urging Congress to tackle immigration reform that was started by a dairyman in Marsing is gaining momentum and support from dairymen in other parts of the state, according to industry officials.

Bob Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymens Association, said the petition is starting to gain signatures online and via mail from dairymen in the Magic Valley, the hub of Idahos milk and cheese production. The petition, started this month, seeks to gather at least 10,000 signatures by Feb. 3, urging Idahos congressional delegation to address immigration reform, specifically the lack of a visa program that would provide year-round labor for the the industry.

I had a lot of dairyman ask why we havent done this before and earlier, Naerebout said.

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The Marsing-based dairyman who started the petition declined to comment and provide his name for this story.

Dairies are not part of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers program, which allows agricultural groups to bring foreign nationals into the country to fill temporary jobs. Other agricultural sectors in Idaho, such as hops growers, have utilized this program.

Naerebout said the the dairy industry isnt necessarily looking to be included in the H-2A program, but seeks a viable visa program that would allow producers to bring in foreign labor to fill what the petition describes as a massive shortage of workers.

The petition also supports providing legal status for those already working at Idaho, though Naerebout clarified the industry is not asking for that status to be defined as citizenship.

Even if the petition drive falls short of its goal of 10,000 signatures, Naerebout said the organization will continue pressing for immigration reform this year.

Well continue to work with other organizations that we work with to make immigration front and center, he said. Our best chance for getting it addressed is this year.

Idaho Dairymen Association President, Tony Vanderhulst, owns a dairy near Wendell, said he supports the petition. He said if dairies dont have enough labor, industries and companies that rely on mile, like cheese and yogurt factories, could feel the impact.

If the dairy industry doesnt have the labor it needs it will affect the Chobanis of the world, he said.

At the moment, his dairy has enough employees, but he said the labor pool is tightening up.

Were sitting okay, but I have friends who are short 3 or 4 people, he said. Winters been rough.

Olivia Weitz is the Canyon County and city of Caldwell reporter. She can be reached at 465-8107 or oweitz@idahopress.com. Follow @oliviaweitz1.

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Immigration reform petition started by Marsing dairyman gaining ... - Idaho Press-Tribune

As president Trump's immigration crackdown prompts nationwide protests, Reason Foundation convened three policy experts in Washington, D.C., to discuss the moral and economic case for reform.

The experts' conclusions are startling. Left unchanged, the current immigration system is likely to prevent the president from reaching his four percent economic growth target. Further tightening of immigration regulations could provoke a recession. Foreseeable consequences of a continued crackdown against immigration include the loss of entrepreneurship, a major financial blow to American higher education, and the creation of a police state.

Panelists differed on whether Trump's so-called "Muslim ban" was motivated by incompetence or malice.

PANELISTS

Ilya Somin - Law professor, George Mason University. Contributor, The Volokh Conspiracy, at The Washington Post.

Tim Kane - Economist, Hoover Institution at Stanford University; editor of Peregrine, an immigration journal.

Shikha Dalmia - Senior Analyst, Reason Foundation.

Produced by Todd Krainin. Cameras by Krainin and Ian Keyser.

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Immigration Reform in the Era of Trump - Reason

The H-1B visa is the popular pathway that helps high-skilled foreigners work at companies in the U.S.

It's a program that's particularly near and dear to the tech community, with many talented engineers vying for one of the program's 85,000 visas each year.

During a White House briefing Monday, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump will continue to talk about reforming the H-1B visa program, among others, as part of a larger push for immigration reform.

Spicer said Trump will do so through executive order, as well as by working with Congress.

Details on both options are unclear.

In a draft executive order dated January 23 obtained by CNNMoney, changes could impact numerous programs. There were no details on how this would impact the H-1B, except to say that there will be a report within 90 days with suggestions on how to make the program more efficient and how to allocate the visas.

Currently, the visas are doled out by a lottery, and the number of applicants continues to swell each year. In 2016, demand was three times more than the quota.

Related: Bipartisan bill aims to reform H-1B visa system

Three new bills have been introduced this year, offering up suggestions for how to reform the program, including to a proposal to give visas to the highest bidders.

But there are many other programs mentioned in the draft that are important to the tech community. Programs like the J-1, for summer work travel, and the OPT, for international students to stay in the U.S. after graduating. Both were recently revised under the Obama administration. Also, the E-2 program, which is an investor visa, is subject to change.

L-1 visas, which are given to foreign workers who transfer to the U.S. from a company's office abroad, would be subject to site visits, according to the draft. It says that within six months, Homeland Security will start preforming site visits for all L-1 holders.

Within two years, the draft order proposes to expand on-site visitation to all employment-based visa programs.

The International Entrepreneurs Rule is also in question. It was passed during the final days of the Obama administration and extends "parole status" to entrepreneurs as a creative alternative to a startup visa -- which the U.S. doesn't have.

While the draft order didn't specifically name the Enterpreneurs Rule by name, it proposed eliminating all parole use that "circumvents statutory immigration policy," which this rule would fall under. The rule is also under a pending freeze issued during Trump's first day in office.

More here:
Trump's immigration reform: High-skilled visas may be next - CNNMoney

Legal viewpoints over immigration uncertainty

Beau Zimmer, WTSP 1:05 AM. EST January 31, 2017

Looking at immigration reform from different viewpoints (Photo: WTSP)

ST. PETERSBURG Everyday people have widely opposing views on immigration.

Its unfortunate that its come to this, but I dont see any other way, says Kelly Kowall, a Gold Star Mother who lost her son SPC. Corey Kowall who was serving in Afghanistan. She believes Americans have the right to feel safe in their own country.

Lets stop and take a look back and really make sure those were allowing into the United States are coming with the right reasons, said Kowall.

On the opposite side of the argument are married couple David AND Fatemah Basch. David was born in America; his wife Fatemah is an Iranian. The two were planning on traveling back to America but then the vetting process stopped.

We want to be safe when we get to the US just as much as people who are there want to be safe. They basically pulled the rug out from under our feet, said David.

Now the two are now stuck overseas unsure what the future holds.

To be an Iranian did I have a choice? No, said Fatemah. I dont think its fair to judge everyone from Iran.

St. Petersburg Attorney Rohom Konsari says President Trumps executive order is already being challenged. And he doesnt just have a legal opinion.

It is alarming very, very alarming, said Konsari who himself is an Iranian born, 31 year citizen of the United States.

He says the Presidents Executive Order is leaving many with questions.

I feel like this executive action is going to get caught up in the court system because a lot of these people have a legal right to be in this country.

( 2017 WTSP)

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Looking at immigration reform from different viewpoints - WTSP.com

In the midst of protests going on around the US over President Trump's immigration ban on predominantly muslim countries, another immigration reform is on the table. Bloomberg reports that another executive order is in draft form that aims to reform the work-visa program. This executive order could significantly impact the way many technology companies operate today.

Don't Miss:The Hottest CES 2017 Highlights

If the executive order was implemented technology companies could be required to shift the way they operate. Firms like Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and others would be faced with significant changes to how they currently employ tens of thousands of workers.

"Our countrys immigration policies should be designed and implemented to serve, first and foremost, the U.S. national interest," the draft proposal reads, according to a copy reviewed by Bloomberg. "Visa programs for foreign workers should be administered in a manner that protects the civil rights of American workers and current lawful residents, and that prioritizes the protection of American workers -- our forgotten working people -- and the jobs they hold."

Foreign work visas were originally established to allow US companies to recruit workers from abroad if there weren't any qualified local workers. The problem with the work visa program now is that there are allegations companies use the program to bring in cheaper workers from foreign countries to fill positions that would otherwise go to Americans.

"Immigrant STEM workers have contributed an outsize share to founding new companies, getting patents, and helping build up American companies, which in turn because of their success have created tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of jobs," said Gary Burtless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who does research in labor markets. "Discouraging such people to apply for visas to enter the United States to work -- I cant imagine how that can be considered to be in the American national interest."

President Trump isn't alone in Washington working to reform immigration, Congress is also working on reforms. Democratic congresswoman for California Zoe Lofgren proposed a bill last week that would tighten H-1B work visa requirements.

"My legislation refocuses the H-1B program to its original intent to seek out and find the best and brightest from around the world, and to supplement the U.S. workforce with talented, highly-paid, and highly-skilled workers," Lofgren said in a statement.

See the rest here:
Trump's next immigration reform targets work-visa programs - I4U News