Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) released the following statements after joining Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and representatives from major farm and farmworker organizations for an agriculture immigration reform roundtable:
“America, and especially rural America, cannot exist without a reliable workforce that is treated with dignity and respected for the contributions it makes to our society every day. Today’s roundtable demonstrated consensus across the board that we need to pass meaningful policy solutions for immigration reform this year. I am grateful to my partner in this effort Senator Crapo, Secretary Vilsack, and the leaders who came together today to have this discussion,” said Bennet.
“There is no question we must deal with the insufficiencies of the existing agriculture guest worker program in order to ensure a stable and high-quality food supply across our country. Today’s bipartisan roundtable with Secretary Vilsack, Senator Bennet and stakeholder groups was a meaningful, collaborative discussion. It was an opportunity to engage in robust dialogue on the best path forward for legislation in the Senate,” said Crapo.