Last week’s worksite enforcement actions tore apart Nebraska families and sent harmful ripple effects across our state. These events – and their overwhelming impact on people and workplaces – are symptoms of a broader 40-year policy failure by Congress to update our federal immigration laws.
 
We have been organizing together for the last four years to join together Nebraska leaders across agriculture, health care, aging care, child care, education, hospitality, construction, business, faith, labor, and community perspectives and now we urgently call on Nebraska’s Congressional delegation to work with their colleagues in Congress to fix these long-outdated laws that are damaging local communities.

Nebraska Statewide Partners Across Sectors Call on Congress After Worksite Enforcement Actions Damage Local Communities
Overwhelming impact on people and workplaces are symptoms of a broader 40-year policy failure by Congress

NEBRASKA – The Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities includes 70+ Nebraska organizations and associations, representing hundreds more individual organizations across the state and across sectors – including agriculture, health care, aging care, education, hospitality, construction, business, faith, labor, and community perspectives – calling for positive immigration solutions to support Nebraska’s families, communities, workforce, and future.

In response to large-scale worksite enforcement actions in Nebraska last week, Nebraska Alliance partners issued the following statement:

“Last week’s worksite enforcement actions tore apart Nebraska families and sent harmful ripple effects across our state. These events – and their overwhelming impact on people and workplaces – are symptoms of a broader 40-year policy failure by Congress to update our federal immigration laws.

On top of these outdated laws, in the last few months, rolling back work-authorization programs – coupled with broader detention and removal – is moving U.S. immigration policy in the wrong direction and damaging local communities.

As Nebraska leaders in agriculture, health care, aging care, child care, education, hospitality, construction, business, faith, and labor, we urgently call on Nebraska’s Congressional delegation to work with their colleagues in Congress to fix these long-outdated laws. From our many perspectives and thousands of conversations across the state, we know the current situation is unsustainable. We have tens of thousands of unfilled jobs of all types in our state. As baby boomers retire in large numbers, this situation will only get worse.

We’re operating with immigration laws that are still from the era of telephone land lines instead of cell phones – or like roads that haven’t been fixed since the 1970s or 80s.

This affects our daily lives in Nebraska. We all want to know there will be doctors, tech support, and a clean room when a loved one needs medical care. We all want to know there will be milk and meat in the case at the grocery store. We all want to know there will be talented teachers for education and childcare. We all want to know there will be the behind-the-scenes skills – transportation, construction, maintenance, food service – for the community systems we all rely on.

Neighbors, employees, and family members who have been contributing important work and paying taxes for decades should have a way to apply for immigration status and residency. Community members who grew up here since childhood – or neighbors who started on a temporary visa and have now been part of the community for years – should have a way to say, “Nebraska is my home, I’d like to apply for residency.” But that’s not the case until Congress fixes the outdated laws.

Together we build vibrant communities and the Good Life, but immigrant neighbors cannot continue to contribute to Nebraska’s success while Congress ignores the hurdles, uncertainty, and challenges of outdated immigration policy.

Fixing the problem can't be done – and shouldn't be done – with executive orders, which creates uncertainty in a process that needs the opposite.  This simply must be the result of thoughtful federal policy – debated, crafted, written, and enacted by Congress.

It's not surprising that our immigration laws aren’t working after 40 years of inaction by Congress. But that’s exactly what we saw again last week, and it is not in the best interest of Nebraska communities. It is time for stability for families, employers, communities, and the systems we all rely on. It’s time for Congress to act.”

Read examples of the harmful local impact that outdated immigration laws were already having on Nebraska families, employers, services, industry, and communities. For example:

 “With the uncertainty surrounding immigration laws right now, Nebraska’s restaurants and hotels are struggling to stay open — not because of lack of customers, but because of a lack of workers. This isn’t just a staffing issue; it’s a community crisis. When our hospitality businesses are forced to reduce hours or close, we lose more than places to dine or stay — we lose social spaces, support for our seniors, and reasons for young people to stay rooted in their hometowns. And when they go, families and economic vitality go with them. Nebraska’s future depends on a strong, supported, and sustainable hospitality workforce.” Craig Casados, Executive Director of Nebraska Hospitality Association

"Skilled and talented people are imperative to all sectors of the industry: feedlots, driving trucks, feeding cattle, harvest, and also for supplies that go into the operation and delivery pipeline. Everything is tied together. The employees are essential for the industry work, and for the rest of community life. Without more people and families, even if you manage to run the business for a while longer, we're losing community." Laura Field, Executive Vice President of Nebraska Cattlemen

“There’s not a dairy farm or livestock producer who hasn’t struggled with sufficient staffing. One farmer I talked to had worked 48 hours with only a couple hours sleep because he was short staffed. The path we are on now isn’t sustainable, and there are many industries in the same position.” Kris Bousquet, Executive Director of the Nebraska State Dairy Association

“Across all sectors of the business and services community, Nebraska employers are facing significant workforce challenges, with current estimates in the neighborhood of 50,000 open positions.  Healthcare, transportation, food services, and food processing industries are just a few examples.  Businesses and communities alike are working very hard to remain vibrant yet alone expand. Solving many of Nebraska’s most pressing economic issues will take growth. To that end: it's time for Congress to update our immigration system with safety, stability, and simplicity in mind. Nebraska's economy and communities will be better for it." Todd Bingham, President/CEO of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry

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