Foreign-born workforce vital to local and national economy

The President said in September that undocumented immigrants are costing the U.S. more than $113 billion annually. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) was reportedly the source of that number, and they noted that state and local governments pay the vast majority of that amount at $84 billion a year, but also reported that the actual net cost incurred by undocumented immigrants residing illegally in the U.S. is closer to $99 billion. But officials in various segments of the agricultural industry, including dairy, meat and produce, all seem to agree on one thing: the foreign-born workforce is vital to American agriculture, and in many ways it is still in need of enhancement. As for the local economy, Lona DuVall, president of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, said the presence of foreign-born workers, undocumented or otherwise, has been a boon to the community.“We caution our community members and our business owners to realize that a lot of things they hear about in the national news just simply aren’t happening here,” DuVall said. “When they tell the stories of immigrants who may or may not be taking advantage of the system in some communities, we don’t feel like that’s happening here.”  DuVall said 5,000 jobs have been created in Finney County over the last few years, adding that the current level of job creation would not be sustainable without the immigrant influx. “I think it’s just important for people to ask the questions locally,” she said. “Don’t buy into the rhetoric. Don’t believe everything you hear or see that is happening in other places, because that’s not the situation in our community.” Kristi Boswell, the Washington, D.C.-based director of congressional relations on labor and immigration at Farm Bureau, said more than 80 percent of the agricultural workforce in the U.S. is foreign-born, and more than half are presumed to be undocumented.