As massive funds fuel increased immigration enforcement efforts, Wisconsin is grappling with labor ramifications threatening some of the state’s key industries.
Darrin Von Ruden, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, said immigrant workers perform about 70% of the labor on dairy farms. He added farmers are continuing to experience significant uncertainty about whether employees will show up for work.
"It's really huge, because it isn't just the dairy industry that depends on immigrant labor," Von Ruden pointed out. "The city of Wisconsin Dells, the vast majority of that labor force throughout the summer months is immigrants."
Research shows about 42% of meat processing jobs and 30% of hand-packing jobs in Wisconsin are also held by immigrants. Overall, immigrants make up about 5% of the state’s population and 7% of its labor force, with agriculture and service sectors among some of the top industries.
Von Ruden explained when employees fail to show up to work, it creates a ripple effect of stress throughout communities. Not only do employers have to scrabble to make up for their absence, immigration enforcement presence in one area often causes anxiety in neighboring towns as well.
"We need to get an immigration system that allows people to be here legally and get through that process in a timely manner," Von Ruden urged. "That way, they can trust that they can do their job and not have to worry about looking over their shoulder to see if somebody is going to be hauling them off to jail or deporting them."
Von Ruden argued the country’s current immigration system is broken and in need of reform. Meanwhile, the Trump administration plans to add $170 billion to its mass deportation agenda over the next three years.
