Newhouse: Now members want immigrants out

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., told the International Fresh Produce Association on Wednesday that he thinks a farm labor bill has a “real shot” at passing this Congress, but he also warned IFPA members that some of his colleagues now say they want undocumented immigrants out of the country before they can support the bill.

In a morning speech to IFPA, Newhouse urged its members, before they went to Capitol Hill to lobby, to convince members of Congress to become co-sponsors of the agriculture labor reform bill that he is sponsoring.

Newhouse said that in the past, some House members stated they could not support agricultural labor reform until the border was closed to illegal immigration, but now they say they won’t support it until “we do something about” the 10 million to 20 million immigrants who came into the country while the border was open.

That viewpoint, Newhouse said, “ignores agriculture’s need. Express that the urgency is now, today, yesterday.”

Newhouse noted that members of Congress have a much greater “comprehension” of specialty crops now than they did 10 years ago, thanks to IFPA’s efforts.

After the speech, IFPA members went to Capitol Hill bearing boxes of fruits and vegetables. They left these boxes in congressional offices while pitching IFPA’s agenda, which includes farm labor reform.