Given that seventy percent of agricultural workers in the U.S. were born in another country and that as many as forty percent are undocumented, a stringent Iowa immigration law will impact livestock production and other segments of agriculture. The law, since blocked by a federal court, would have made it possible for authorities to detain illegal immigrants previously deported or denied admission to the U.S. irrespective of current legal status.
Notwithstanding, the hold on the proposed July 1st date of enforcement, many immigrants concerned over their freedom have elected to move from the state. This trend was evident in Florida after restrictive legislation was introduced. It is a reality that farmers need labor and despite the extensive population of U.S. citizens drawing federal and state aid, there are insufficient hands to produce food, especially in fields, orchards, livestock farms and labor-intensive packing plants.
Congress has failed to enact a major revision of current immigration legislation attributed to political posturing that inhibits bipartisan action.
Canada is faced with a similar problem of filling agricultural jobs but has elected to issue visas and in most instances to offer a path to permanent residence or citizenship for productive foreign agricultural workers. We could gain from their experience and benefit from a more practical and humanitarian approach to immigration.
Our population is aging and without immigration will eventually shrink following the pattern in Japan and Europe. In decades to come, there will be insufficient workers contributing to social security to sustain payments to those reliant on federal and state support.