Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association Calling on Congress to Expand Opportunities for Legal Immigration

Thursday, November 10th, 2022 -- 10:00 AM

(Wisconsin Ag Connection) The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association is calling for Congressional action to expand opportunities for legal immigration and to allow more immigrants to become permanent residents or citizens of the United States of America.

According to the Wisconsin Ag Connection, WCMA President Steve Bechel says the group's immigration policy platform was endorsed by its 21-member board of directors this month.

"The $753 billion American dairy industry relies on immigrants as vital members of its supply chain, from the farm to processing facilities and beyond," Bechel said. "The nation's labor crisis will worsen in the years ahead, and legislative action is needed now to provide the workforce that dairy businesses must have to meet the demands of a growing global population."

Specifically, the lobbying organization would like to see the addition of dairy manufacturing, processing, and related supply chain jobs to the list of those eligible for an agricultural guestworker visa program.

It also calls for the elimination of touchback provisions requiring agricultural guestworkers to return to their home country periodically, disrupting their work in the United States.

Other recommendations include creating temporary legal status to the spouses and minor children of non-seasonal agricultural guestworkers, extend the length of agricultural guestworker visa terms, provide incentives to aid the provision of optional employer-provided housing, transportation, and other services to agricultural guestworkers, and expand opportunities for agricultural guestworkers to gain permanent residency.

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