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Dairy prices and substitute labeling, crop insurance, support for specialty crops, soil health, nutrition programs, agricultural research, inflation, and invasive species were all topics that farmers in the region brought to Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Tuesday at the Old Courthouse in Batavia,

Tenney, who has been representing Genesee County as part of the redrawn NY-24 since January, made Batavia the first stop on a tour of the district to discuss potential provisions in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Congress passes a new Farm Bill every five years. The Farm Bill is most notably known for providing crop insurance and other assistance to farmers to deal with the nature-driven inherent risks of agriculture and the trade barriers that often make selling their commodities more difficult. But it also deals with a host of other issues related to farming.

While all of those topics were discussed, the topic most often broached by speakers on Tuesday was immigration. Farmers are tired of seeing their workers fear deportation, and they want to increase the labor supply to help them remain productive.

"I've been involved with immigration and immigration issues since the Reagan administration," said Kim Zuber, owner of Zuber Farms in Byron. "Our first Hispanic employee,back in 1980, the first kid we got was 21. Hehad a green card, and he became a citizen through the Reagan administration. I've been in Washington many, many times, and this is apolitical football by the left and right, and we pay the price. They practically make criminals of us on the question of papers. We are sick of being in the middle of this political football. We really would appreciate it if somebody would stand up and say, 'Enough.' These people are our fellow human beings. Sure, surely, bad people come across the border, but the people who work on these farms are supporting themselves and their families. They're good people. They got families and kids just like us. It's just sad. We are sick of being the football between the left and the right."

Natasha Sutherland, from Stein Farms in Le Roy, was the first speaker of the day and, after talking at length about dairy prices and the regulations that control them, opened the immigration discussion by noting that there are people entering the country on a daily basis, risking their lives, to provide for their families.Often these farmworkers are supporting families they left behind.

"These people deserve to live and work without fear of deportation," Sutherland said.

The next speaker, Pat McCormick, reiterated some of Sutherland's points.

"We need to improve," he said. "We need to be able to get the farmworkers that we need here and have the paperwork they need so that they're not afraid to go to the hospital and not afraid to go to the grocery store."

He added, "They are a vital partof our community and are a vital support to their people back home, so we need to fix that problem."

Another farmer spoke about one of his workers who witnesseda murder and was initially afraid to speak to authorities for fear of deportation. Eventually, he did provide evidence that helped get the killer convicted, but the farmer said farmworkers shouldn't have to face that kind of fear.

"It brings people to tears," he said. "These guys and girls are people. They're one of us. They deserve more respect than we give them."

Tenney Supports Immigration ReformIn her closing remarks, Tenney told the farmers she heard their concerns about immigration and is seeking to address it. In an interview with The Batavian after the meeting, Tenney said she supports providing a pathway for undocumented farmworkers to stay in the country without fear and that she would particularly like to help dairy farmers help their workers here on H2A visas stay in the country all year long. She also supportsan increase in immigration from Mexico and South America so long as it's legal, protects the safety of Americans, and ensures farmers are getting workers who work hard and obey the laws of the country.

She acknowledged the need for more workers but said it's also essential -- especially in New York where farmers are facing increased costs because of new overtime rules and the threat of unionization -- to lower the costs for farmers to retain the workers they have.

"These visa programs are really just a bureaucratic disaster right now for them," Tenney said.

She explained, "What we're trying to do in the Farmworker Modernization Act is come up with a way to make (the H2A visa program) a year-round program, to make the touchback point, the consulate of (their home)country, which would be in New York State. That touchback would be to go and renew the visas and make it a more streamlined process. We would still go through all the criminal records. The farmers wouldbe given some security as to the types of people that are coming towork in their operations. And it would provide us with some oversight as opposed to now, where we sort of have people in the shadows. We want to make sure good, hardworking people who are willing to come here, do the hard work, and that we can actually do it in a more streamlined fashion that is less cost costly to the farmers."

Asked about the fact that oftentimes Republican politicians oppose providing a pathway for undocumented workers to remain in the country, who are the kind of experienced workers farmers want to keep. Tenney said she is sympathetic to the frustration expressed by those views because she personally knows people who have waited 20 years to come into the country and become citizens through a documented, legal process.

But she also understands that people who came here to work and are working, are the kind of people we should want in the country.

"They're not coming here across the border to human traffic, to traffic drugs, to engage in surveillance," Tenney said. After accusing the Chinese of sending people to the U.S. to engage in surveillance, she continued, "We want to make sure that we provide a legal path so that the farmers are protected, the farmworkers are protected, and we know that the people who are working on these farms are productive and are no threat to American citizens in any way. They will ultimately at least have a path to legalization if they're not already legal."

Tenney is aware of the shortage of workers in the U.S. economy and understands the complexity around the issue of a large number of prime-working-age men not joining the labor force and said, yes, immigrants can help bridge that gap.

"We are seeing a great need, not just in farming, but across every sector," Tenney said. "We need people to come and work and create growth in our economy. Without growth, we're not going to deal with our deficits, we're not going to deal with the needs that we have."

While she supported theFarmworker Modernization Act, she thinks Republicans can and will come up with a better reform bill.

"Republicans are for allowing legal immigration," Tenney said. "We want the rule of law to be respected, and I think a lot of illegal immigrants don't know any better, to be honest with you, because they're being trafficked."

She blamed cartels for pushing illegal immigrants, including children, into the country in order to disrupt border security, even on the northern border.

"Nothing is more disheartening than my visit to the border and seeing just how much control the cartels have," Tenney said. "The confusion, the chaos, the large numbers coming across, the lack of ability for the Customs and Border Patrol to really handle this (is disheartening)."

There is a middle ground on immigration reform, she said, that doesn't involve lawlessness. There can be a sensible plan that respects the rule of law, and she believes that is what farmers are looking for.

Some economists project the U.S. is short about one million workers. Tenney said she isn't opposed to a million immigrants entering the company to fill jobs so long as it is legal.

"That's something that we have to negotiate, butI think there is avery few numbers of people who are against having more people come into the countrylegally," Tenney said. "There's a very small number that may think this is a burden on taxpayers. I look at (immigrants)as people who are going to produce growth, and if we're producing growth, and we have a larger output and more labor, you're going to see us prosper. We're going to be able to cut down our deficit and actually bring more prosperity. I see growth as the answer."

Photos by Howard Owens. Top photo: Rep. Claudia Tenney speaking during opening remarks.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley spoke briefly about the budget deadlock in Albany and how the deadlock is costing taxpayers money.

"They are intransigent," Hawley said. "They are refusing to do anything about bail reform or spending $240 billion a year of our taxpayer money. Every day that we were in Albany, 213 senators and assembly members cost you and me $40,000 a day. We've been there six days looking at not one budget bill, that's a quarter of a million dollars. Now, that pales in comparison to $240 billion, but a penny is a penny, and a dollar is a dollar,and there is a quarter of a million dollars being paid to individualsgetting nothing done. It is tragic."

Natasha Sutherland, Stein Farms.

Seating in the Old Courthouse was nearly filled with farmers from throughout the region, most of whom did not speak during the meeting. Among those in attendancewas Daniel Swyers, a dairy farmer from Perry.

While Tenney asks a farmer a follow-up question, County Legislative Chair Shelley Stein listens.

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Immigration reform tops the list of concerns during Tenney's farm ... - The Batavian

BOISE Rick Naerebout, Idaho Dairymens Association CEO, told a group of lawmakers and agricultural industry leaders Tuesday that hed hoped the gathering would be more of a celebration.

Most of those gathered, which included U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho; state Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, and leaders from the Idaho Farm Bureau, Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, and others, had met the year before to discuss ongoing issues to address the agricultural labor crisis.

Simpson and Guthrie have made some progress in their efforts to address immigration reform and agriculture workforce shortages but their proposals didnt cross the finish line. The theme of the American Business Immigration Coalition roundtable, held Tuesday in Boise, was theres more work to be done and the stakeholders involved will continue to prioritize the issue.

What agriculture needs is a stable, reliable workforce, Simpson said, and I will tell you, this is the No. 1 priority I have over the next two years.

The congressman along with Eastern Washington Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse co-sponsored the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would expand a temporary visa program for seasonal migrant workers to be used year-round; it would also provide an avenue for workers with a history of farm work to gain legal status.

The bill has passed with bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives twice but stalled in the Senate.

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, with Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, had been the lead negotiators in the Senate, NPR reported. Crapos office did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Enrique Sanchez, intermountain state director at American Business Immigration Coalition, called on the Senate to do its job and said protecting the agricultural workforce is critical for food security in America. He also said that, as a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and son of a migrant farm worker, hes familiar with their struggles. Sanchez said his fathers undocumented status prevented him from being able to return to Mexico for Sanchezs birth.

I share my story to shed light on the experience of farm workers who strive for the American dream, and to remind everyone here that my story is one of hundreds of similar stories in Idaho and across the country, Sanchez said.

Simpson also said there are dire economic impacts to not addressing the immigration issue, such as increasing food prices as more food is imported than produced domestically, and underscored that theres also a humanitarian impact at the center of the issue.

He told a story of a farm worker who had been with a company for 19 years when he was suddenly deported after trying to renew his drivers license.

Somethings wrong with that, Simpson said. Creating that legal workforce, so if youre here working at a dairy or with a farmer or something else, and your mother dies in Honduras, you can actually go home to her funeral and come back. Thats whats important about this.

Idaho state Sen. Jim Guthrie addresses participants in a roundtable discussion at the Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry in Boise, Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

At the state level, Guthrie this session sponsored a bill that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain a limited drivers license as well as a Senate Joint Memorial that called on Congress to tackle immigration reform, including allowing the guest-worker visa program to apply to year-round jobs. Hes been working on the restricted license issue for several years now, and this session, SB 1081 was passed out of committee without a recommendation in an unusual move. It was retained on the Senates calendar and eventually sent back to committee without a debate or vote on the floor.

The memorial, SJM 101, passed the Senate in a 25-10 vote and was referred to the House Agricultural Affairs Committee, where it never had a hearing. He told the Idaho Press that theres likely going to be another effort on the issue in the future.

Guthrie said that as hes worked on the issue, hes found that some of his colleagues in the Statehouse find immigration to be too politically toxic to take on.

If you mention the border, if you mention immigration and, heaven forbid, you mention undocumented immigrants, youll get the door slammed in your face quicker than a vacuum cleaner salesman back in the 70s, Guthrie said. ... But what we found is, an issue like this takes courage, and Im not talking about my courage. Im talking about the courage of the businesses, of the industry.

He talked about the widespread support from those in agriculture, including the Idaho Dairymens Association, the Idaho Farm Bureau and PODER Idaho, which gathered 8,000 signatures of support for the license bill and presented them during the committee hearing.

Pretty soon the ability to deny is not going to be able to resonate any longer, Guthrie said.

Simpson and Guthrie said it will take a large communication and educational effort to get people to understand the severity of the issue and that there is wide popular support for addressing it. Both said they had colleagues who privately expressed support for their proposals but werent willing to vote for them.

Both lawmakers said they felt it was a small but vocal group of people who simply want to deport all immigrants rather than provide avenues for legalization.

Paranoia sells, Guthrie said. If you can instill fear in people, it resonates, it sells. That loud minority voice is instilling fear.

He said it was important to change the narrative.

Congressman Mike Simpson looks on as Idaho state Sen. Jim Guthrie speaks during a roundtable discussion at the Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry, Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Simpson said it wasnt enough for just the leaders of industry groups to write in to legislators expressing support, but every individual farmer or producer needed to do so too.

Alex LaBeau, Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, said the issue affects more than just the agricultural industry. He talked about how this idea hit home during a recent visit to New York City.

When you go to the Statue of Liberty and when youre there with your kid and you start to remind them that this country was founded on immigration, LaBeau said. ... the very survival of this country is going to be dependent on immigration reform and our ability to bring people in for the workforce.

Simpson said his path forward is to probably re-introduce his bill and see what the House Judiciary Committee does with it. He said drafting another bill to address some of the committee Republicans concerns would likely cause it to lose the bipartisan support it has.

It has to be bipartisan if its going to pass, he said.

He also said there needs to be a focus on the personal impacts of the lack of immigration reform. His chief of staff, Nikki Wallace, told a story of a 16-year-old girl who became distraught during a discussion in the office on immigration. Wallace said the girl began shaking, and when Wallace asked her privately what the issue was, she said she was worried shed be deported to a country she didnt know anything about.

When were talking about this issue and how can we be successful, weve got to bring the human issue back to it, Wallace said. That is the most uncaring thing, is for this child to be fearful of whats going to happen to her, if shes going to end up in a country that she doesnt know the language or people or anything ... We have to do better for these kids, for people.

Simpson highlighted that the jobs that migrant workers are taking are not ones that Americans are applying for. To participate in the H-2b visa program, employers must ensure that no qualified U.S. workers are available for the opening.

He also said that while people focus on whats going on at the border, its important to remember that many undocumented people are already living and working in communities and the issues are separate.

People need to stop and think about this, Simpson said. These are people that are in our communities that have been for years, that are our neighbors.

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Simpson, Guthrie: More work to be done on immigration, farm ... - KPVI News 6

The often overlooked, yet key public official most responsible for quality of life and public safety in thousands of American communities carries a badge, not a briefcase. In old England they were called Shire Reeves (get it?) whose job was to keep the peace on behalf of the king. Today we know them as sheriffs, and under the Biden Border Crisis, they struggle to keep the peace in spite of theking.

FAIR works closely with these law enforcement heroes who see firsthand the adverse impact of open borders. We support them, and there are good reasons you shouldtoo.

Unlike appointed police chiefs who are subject to progressive politics and often capitulate to special interests, the vast majority of the 3,081 of Americas sheriffs are elected and as such, theyre accountable and responsive to citizen concerns, not least of which is rampant illegal immigration. Consequently, as open borders have fueled record numbers of drugs, guns and gangs in recent years, sheriff departments fought back and sought solutions while at the same time, police departments nationwide became increasingly complicit in counter-productive sanctuarypolicies.

One solution was 287(g), a voluntary program named for the section of U.S. Code under which the federal government trains and deputizes local law enforcement agencies to assist with the enforcement of immigration laws. Added into the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act in 1996, it quickly became a force multiplier as it allowed local law enforcement direct access into Homeland Security databases to quickly determine legal status, while creating working relationships with regional ICE offices. For departments that opted in, this productive partnership synergized the data resources of the federal government with the eyes and ears of local sheriffs resulting in more criminal aliens being transferred to ICE and fewer being released into localcommunities.

It works well, so not surprisingly, while 287(g) is still operational, its days may be numbered. Funding is declining, Democrats are putting intense pressure on DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to terminate all the existing agreements (although only Congress can repeal the law itself), and there have been no new Memorandum of Agreements approved since June of 2020, i.e., during the Biden Administration. Worse yet, sheriff departments that utilize the program are under sustained attacks, distractions that Sheriff Chuck Jenkins of Frederick County, Maryland, knows all too well. His department has utilized 287(g) since 2008, passed each years audit with flying colors, and was recognized by ICE as an Exemplary Law Enforcement Partner. Despite those accolades, Jenkins faces regular onslaughts of false allegations by local open borders advocates determined to stop theprogram.

Like most sheriffs, Jenkins tenaciously defends his use of 287(g) because as he says, its the only way I can honor my promise to never put known criminal aliens back onto my streetsand frankly those who want to stop me from doing my job are just a small but very vocal percentage of voters, a claim proven by the fact hes been sheriff for 17 years and recently reelected for a 5th term. There may be some wolves at the door as Jenkins notes, but the voters clearly support his law and order approach to illegal immigration, time andagain.

Jenkins does acknowledge as do most of his fellow sheriffs across the country that while 287(g) is a crucial resource, the ultimate solution is to secure theborder.

But until that happens, sheriffs need encouragement from you to retain 287(g), to apply for it if they dont have it, and to use their influence against state legislatures that want to gut their authority with dangerous sanctuary policies. Given that using 287(g) is both a necessity for public safety, yet one that also becomes a target for radical open borders activists, many elected sheriffs need support from the public to hold the line against the small, but boisterous, minority that opposes any manner of immigration enforcement. Thus, you can bet these local public servants (who are unusually receptive to hearing from citizens) will appreciate a reinforcing thank you for holding the line and facing the heat, while steadfastly trying to keep thepeace.

Read more:
Local Sheriffs Need Your Support - Federation for American Immigration Reform

House Republican leadership is pushing for a delay to a planned markup next week of multiple immigration and border security bills as it deals with infighting between members a move likely to upset immigration hawks keen to see action from the caucus on the historic migrant crisis at the southern border.

Punchbowl News reported Thursday that leadership has asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to delay a planned consideration of as many as eight border and immigration bills next week before the April recess.

But sources told the outlet that leadership had delayed the markup until after the recess, meaning it will be more than four months since Republicans took control of the House before there is any consideration of legislation to tackle the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border. A source familiar with the situation confirmed the Punchbowl News report to Fox News Digital.

BIDEN ADMIN SCALING BACK DETENTION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, EVEN AMID MIGRANT SURGE

Republicans had been planning to markup as many as eight bills next week. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images / File)

Jordan told Punchbowl that "we have eight pieces of legislation that we think makes sense, and were going to get done as soon as we can, but were working with the whole conference."

Republicans have little wiggle room when it comes to defections as they have just a five-seat majority in the lower chamber. While there has been consensus on the broad strokes of how the caucus should tackle the migrant crisis, deep divisions have emerged between members.

Specifically, legislation introduced by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, which would allow DHS to block the entry of illegal migrants into the U.S. until there was "operational control" of the border, has seen internal Republican opposition from a small number of lawmakers.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, has been the most vocal opponent of the bill, calling it anti-American and claiming it bans asylum a claim Roy has denied. Gonzales' opposition to the bill was one factor in the Texas Republican Partys move to censure him this month.

But Republicans had campaigned on coming up with solutions to the border crisis and have already held a number of hearings at the border to draw attention to the crisis. Last year, Republicans unveiled a number of policy proposals to secure the border that they said they would advance if they took the House. Policies include finished the Trump-era border wall, expanding Title 42, modernizing technology and overhauling the asylum system.

DHS PUSHES BACK AGAINST MCCARTHY CALL FOR MAYORKAS TO RESIGN OR FACE POTENTIAL IMPEACHMENT

Since then, some Republicans including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have floated the possibility of impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. That move has yet to happen, although two lawmakers have introduced articles of impeachment.

A coalition of hawkish groups, including the Heritage Foundation, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), America First Policy Institute and Numbers USA, had written to GOP leaders in February urging the party to keep its promises and warning that resources alone were not enough and that laws needed to be changed to end loopholes.

In a statement on Thursday, Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson said border security needs to be the "top priority" for the House.

BORDER HAWKS SAY FAILURE TO PASS BORDER SECURITY BILL WOULD BETRAY GOP COMMITMENT TO AMERICA

"House Republicans have been in power for several months," she wrote. "They must immediately develop and consider a border security package that ends the asylum fraud, creates an authority to immediately expel illegal aliens, sends resources to complete the border wall, and gives border agents the personnel and tools needed to carry out their proper duties, not the mass release of illegal aliens as directed by the Biden administration. Migrants must be disincentivized from making the dangerous journey to cross the border illegally, and must not be promised any possibility of amnesty."

Anderson noted the ongoing fentanyl crisis, which is primarily smuggled across the border, as well as cartel trafficking and an increase in the number of individuals encountered on the terror watch list. While she blamed the "Biden administrations deliberate border destruction," she also urged action from Republicans.

"The time is now American sovereignty has been severely damaged. Heritage Action urges House Republicans to follow through on their Commitment to America and move forward on consideration of a border security package," she said.

Meanwhile, Democrats and the Biden administration have been attacking Republicans for failing to agree to border security funding requests made by the Biden administration. President Joe Biden himself has called for Republicans in Congress to support additional funding to the ports as well as pathways to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

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GOP leadership pushes back immigration, border bill markup amid infighting - Fox News

In Afghanistan, Dr. Wessal Mukhtar was a successful doctor for 20 years. After coming to the United States 10 months ago, he and his family have struggled just to pay rent.

Mukhtar was among the panelists in San Francisco last week for a program titled Refugees in the Bay Area: Welcoming Our Neighbors, held at the Mission District community space and caf Mannys.

Members of the local immigrant community and their supporters gathered to tackle questions of resettlement, immigration policy and how Bay Area residents can best help their new neighbors, and the space was filled to capacity as Mukhtar told his story.

Along with his wife and six children, Mukhtar fled Afghanistan in March 2022 after the fall of Kabul seven months earlier.

After arriving in San Francisco, the Mukhtars were helped by Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay, which helped them secure housing, jobs and schools for the children. But complications and hardship soon followed. Despite his education, Mukhtar cannot practice medicine due to visa regulations; he cannot buy a home with no credit history in the U.S.; and two months ago, his youngest daughter passed away.

I have to be strong, Mukhtar told the audience. I am here in this region [so] my children can grow.

San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar, a Jew from El Salvador who emigrated in the 1980s to escape civil war, hosted the panel, which also included Joe Goldman of HIAS (a Jewish nonprofit that aids refugees and asylum seekers) and Robin Mencher, CEO of JFCS East Bay.

I think Jews understand more than most people the harm that occurs when refugees are not welcome.

State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco dropped in before things got underway to shake hands and promote his recently proposed State Senate Bill 85, which would grant refugees and asylum seekers an additional 90 days of case management support on top of the 90 days given by current policy.

The work of immigration reform, Wiener said, is intimately tied to his Jewish identity.

I think Jews understand more than most people the harm that occurs when refugees are not welcome, Wiener said.

Many of the hardships faced by refugees like Mukhtar and his family are the direct result of United States policy, Goldman pointed out.

He said that HIAS which considers itself the worlds oldest refugee agency and was founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1902 is heavily involved with not only resettlement, but also with advocating for legislation that would make things easier for refugees seeking to enter the country. Goldman encouraged the crowd to get involved in local politics, contact representatives and advocate for change.

We should be welcoming far more people into California, said Goldman, community engagement director for the Western region of HIAS.

Mencher praised the work JFCS East Bay is doing on the ground to help refugees after they arrive in the Bay Area. The agencys mission is to help those in need flourish with dignity, a process that is different for every family, she said.

Over the course of the event at Mannys, which is owned by Manny about town and observant Jew Manny Yekutiel, it became clear that, despite the efforts of agencies such as HIAS and JFCS, much is still needed when it comes to a family like the Mukhtar family.

When asked what he wanted to leave the audience with, Mukhtar, through a translator, said that although the assistance he has received has been life-changing, there need to be more resources for families like his.

[I want] the government as well as these organizations to look into the possibilities of increasing these services, furthering the assistance programs and helping refugees, Mukhtar said.

Read more:
In Afghanistan he was a doctor. Now he struggles to pay rent. J. - The Jewish News of Northern California