This measure was implemented by the previous presidential administration as a precaution against the coronavirus. It was used to exclude over a million illegal immigrants from the south of the border on grounds of public health.
Measures include increasing resources such as personnel, transportation, and medical facilities “to support border operations”; “increasing . . . processing efficiency . . . to mitigate potential overcrowding”; “administering consequences for unlawful entry”; boosting the capacity of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to receive noncitizens after processing; “targeting and disrupting” criminal organizations trafficking in illegals; and “deterring migration south of our border.”
The DHS has issued a statement saying, “The United States will continue to fully enforce our immigration laws at our border. In response to the court’s order, the Department of Justice is filing an unopposed stay motion. The delay in implementation of the court’s order will allow the government to prepare for an orderly transition to new policies at the border.” https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/11/15/statement-dhs-decision-regarding-title-42
The issue is of great importance to the produce industry because its labor crisis is extremely unlikely to be resolved without some effective policy to reduce illegal immigration at the southern border.
“Our current immigration system is shackling our ability to increase food production in the United States because our growers are unsure if they will have the workers they need to plant, grow, and harvest crops. Some of our members have actually gone out of business because they can’t get the workers they need.”
But farmworker bill is unlikely to become law unless it is passed in December by the lame duck Senate, since the House will revert to Republican control in January. And Republicans are split between a pro-business faction, which supports farm labor reform, and a populist element, which opposes it.
Immigration reform and farm labor reform operate in tandem. It is unlikely that either issue will be satisfactorily resolved without the other.
Title 42 appears to be on its last legs.
This measure was implemented by the previous presidential administration as a precaution against the coronavirus. It was used to exclude over a million illegal immigrants from the south of the border on grounds of public health.
Measures include increasing resources such as personnel, transportation, and medical facilities “to support border operations”; “increasing . . . processing efficiency . . . to mitigate potential overcrowding”; “administering consequences for unlawful entry”; boosting the capacity of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to receive noncitizens after processing; “targeting and disrupting” criminal organizations trafficking in illegals; and “deterring migration south of our border.”
The DHS has issued a statement saying, “The United States will continue to fully enforce our immigration laws at our border. In response to the court’s order, the Department of Justice is filing an unopposed stay motion. The delay in implementation of the court’s order will allow the government to prepare for an orderly transition to new policies at the border.” https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/11/15/statement-dhs-decision-regarding-title-42
The issue is of great importance to the produce industry because its labor crisis is extremely unlikely to be resolved without some effective policy to reduce illegal immigration at the southern border.
“Our current immigration system is shackling our ability to increase food production in the United States because our growers are unsure if they will have the workers they need to plant, grow, and harvest crops. Some of our members have actually gone out of business because they can’t get the workers they need.”
But farmworker bill is unlikely to become law unless it is passed in December by the lame duck Senate, since the House will revert to Republican control in January. And Republicans are split between a pro-business faction, which supports farm labor reform, and a populist element, which opposes it.
Immigration reform and farm labor reform operate in tandem. It is unlikely that either issue will be satisfactorily resolved without the other.
Richard Smoley, contributing editor for Blue Book Services, Inc., has more than 40 years of experience in magazine writing and editing, and is the former managing editor of California Farmer magazine. A graduate of Harvard and Oxford universities, he has published 12 books.
