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Know This Now, August 29, 2025: ABIC’s August Recess Push to “Secure America’s Workforce” and Secure Legal Work Permits for America’s Essential Workers

By August 29, 2025September 4th, 2025No Comments

Top News: ABIC’s August Recess Push to “Secure America’s Workforce” and Secure Legal Work Permits for America’s Essential Workers

ABIC led a coast-to-coast push for legal work permits to address employers’ urgent labor concerns. Business owners, associations, and community leaders sat down with members of Congress to call for commonsense immigration solutions, starting with legal work permits:

  • Nebraska – Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE 1)

Prairieland Dairy in Firth hosted Congressman Flood, Chairman of the Mainstreet Republican Caucus. ABIC member and Operator Darren Mueller shared the workforce challenges facing dairies while touring Congressman Flood through their 24/7 operation, which milks 1,200 cows and produces 16,000 gallons of milk daily.

  • Kansas City – Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS)

    ABIC, Comité de 100, the Kansas Livestock Association, the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, and Dairy Farmers of America hosted Sen. Marshall for a workforce roundtable with nearly 30 business leaders from agriculture, construction, business, and government in attendance. DFA CEO Dennis Rodenbaugh noted how labor shortages are impacting agriculture in “unique and urgent ways” and called for fair, focused solutions.
  • Colorado – Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO 8)
    Rep. Evans hosted a district roundtable on the Dignity Act, bringing together seven employers from ABIC and Comité de 100. Participants had the opportunity to share how workforce shortages are affecting their operations and discussed how bipartisan reforms could help stabilize Colorado’s economy.
  • Utah – Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-UT 3)


More than 60 Utah business and community leaders, including ABIC Chairman Bob Worsley and Zion Bank Chairman Scott Anderson joined Rep. Kennedy to address the state’s workforce challenges. Leaders highlighted immigrants’ contributions of nearly $2 billion in taxes and $5.8 billion in spending power. ABIC member Janille Baker, who operates a Nevada ranch, described how half her workforce is foreign-born, with little interest from U.S. workers in these demanding jobs.

  • California – Rep. Young Kim (R-CA 40)
    Over 40 ABIC members in Yorba Linda hosted Rep. Kim for a discussion on the Dignity Act of 2025, which she co-sponsored with Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX).
  • Texas – Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX 8)
    Rep. Luttrell engaged Texas employers in a roundtable focused on workforce and immigration challenges in southeast Texas.
  • National– Senate Leadership
    ABIC and employer partners engaged with Majority Leader Thune and Senators Daines, Sullivan, and Tillis to advance conversations on workforce solutions.
  • National – “Seat the Table” Launch
    ABIC Action, the James Beard Foundation, the Texas Restaurant Association, the Latino Restaurant Association, and 14 other organizations launched Seat the Table, a campaign calling for urgent work permits for long-term, tax-paying immigrant food and hospitality workers. More than 1,000 chefs and owners joined the effort, with Rep. Gabe Evans participating in the national launch.
  • Rio Grande Valley, Texas Mayors and Leaders
    Mayors Javier Villalobos (McAllen) and Ramiro Garza (Edinburg) joined Comité de 100, the RGV Partnership, RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Cámara de Comercio Internacional at a press event with ABIC. Leaders like Massey Villarreal (Precision Task Group) and Dante Galeazzi (Texas International Produce Association) highlighted the region’s reliance on immigrant labor, where 65% of agricultural workers and 59% of construction workers are foreign-born.

New Polling Shows Americans Continue to Support Work Permit Solutions, and Oppose Mass Deportation Push

New August polls show a continued trend of voter opposition to mass enforcement:

These latest polls echo similar results from July:

NYTimes Opinion: Wilted Lettuce. Rotten Strawberries. Here’s What Happens When You Round Up Farmworkers.

California State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and Shannon Douglass, President of the California Farm Bureau (an ABIC partner) wrote in the NYT that ICE raids targeting agriculture workers threaten to raise grocery prices and reduce produce availability.

California is the nation’s largest food producer, with a $60 billion agricultural economy and 63,000 farms supplying a significant share of U.S. fruits, vegetables, nuts, and wine. This production relies heavily on immigrant labor, with roughly half undocumented. These workers are essential to the U.S. food supply, performing jobs few native-born Americans will take.

Fear of raids is causing some workers to stay home, leaving crops unharvested.

“Nearly every crop has a precise window for optimal harvest. When that window is missed, …[it results] in food waste and higher cost.”

“For Americans already struggling with high prices, anything that can add to their grocery bill will be felt.”

The authors called on President Trump to carry through on his stated intention to find new avenues for migrant workers to live and work legally in the U.S., and referenced President Trump’s social media post from June acknowledging these jobs are hard to fill:

More from the ABIC Network:

Watch: Revamping Work Permits on the Dallas, Houston and Austin Show ‘Texas: The Issue Is’

Emily Knight, ABIC member and president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association sat down with the multi-market Fox show “Texas: The Issue Is” to talk about how changes to the immigrant work permit program can help stabilize the  food services industry:

“President Trump ran on securing the border, but he also ran on making a strong economy. And we believe you can have both…we’re not asking for citizenship or amnesty. We’re asking for this specific population to get the work permits so they can actually come every day, work, pay their taxes, and contribute to their communities,” Knight said on the program.


The hosts responded to her interview, adding their own perspectives:

Rudy Koski, Fox 7 Austin: The American Business Immigration Coalition is calling for an urgent expansion of work permits, claiming doing so will stabilize food service and prices.

Steven, are North Texas consumers buying what this coalition is serving up?

Steven Dial, FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth: I think so…We know that the food industry, and even like the farming industry, is heavily supported by—let’s be honest—people who may be in the country illegally or actively working and are not doing other criminal things. And so I think this could be a solution, a part of the formula, that could get people coming together on something.

Greg Groogan, Fox 26 Houston: Yeah, I think most folks here think a new well-structured, thoroughly policed work permit program in multiple industries is purely pragmatic—economically and ultimately politically.

AgriPulse Opinion: Solving The Farm Labor Shortage Will Keep Food On Our Tables

ABIC member and farmer Shay Myers wrote about the nationwide strain on American farms, and proposed policy changes that could offer hope for farmers, like the Farm Workforce Modernization Act and President Trump’s comments about work permits.

“I appreciate Trump’s call for a practical work program, and we align with his vision to ensure that those who want to work and support our economy can do so legally and responsibly. It’s time to do what’s right for America to keep our food supply strong, our economy growing and our communities thriving,” Myers wrote.

Support for Trump Drops in South Texas, Leaders Discuss Challenges at ABIC Roundtable


ABIC’s roundtable in the Rio Grande Valley region, which included political leaders and key stakeholders in agriculture, construction, and real estate is featured in this Havana Times report:

“The participants urged Trump ‘to pass sensible federal immigration solutions’ for the region. The discussion included the Republican mayor of McAllen, Javier Villalobos, who said in June that the ‘general consensus’ in the Rio Grande Valley is that ‘people posing a danger to our national security’ should be deported, but that ‘people on either side of the political spectrum have quickly realized that we need human labor.’”

​​The Rio Grande Valley, a traditionally Democratic region, backed Trump in 2024 but is now facing the fallout of mass deportations and deep cuts to social programs.

Take Action with ABIC

Secure America’s Workforce: D.C. Summit | Oct. 21–23, 2025

Registration is open for ABIC’s biggest fly-in yet — and we want you with us in Washington, D.C.

This October, join business leaders, advocates, and coalition partners from across the country to:

  • Speak directly with lawmakers about real workforce challenges
  • Champion commonsense, bipartisan immigration solutions
  • Stand united with leaders from agriculture, construction, restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, and more

Already registered? Help us build momentum,  forward this invite to your network.


News Briefing:

Wall Street Journal: How a Historic Drop in U.S. Immigration Is Changing the Labor Market

Net immigration to the U.S. could turn negative in 2025 for the first time in decades, reshaping the labor market and long-term economic growth, WSJ reports. Tighter borders, increased deportations, and a hostile climate for foreigners are driving the decline. While fewer newcomers help keep unemployment low in the short term, they risk limiting future growth:

“In the long run it could limit the economy’s potential growth and generate larger budget deficits.”- Wall Street Journal

Experts now predict net migration could drop to –205,000 this year, the lowest since the 1960s. The shrinking immigrant workforce has immediate implications for industries that rely heavily on foreign-born labor and could shape the U.S. economy for years to come.

New data from Pew Research Center confirms the decline. After peaking at 53.3 million in January 2025, the U.S. foreign-born population fell by more than a million people by June.

Beth Ford, CEO and President of Land O’Lakes: A Storm Is Gathering in American Agriculture


Ford writes that U.S. farmers are facing some of the toughest conditions since 2009, with bankruptcies doubling, net farm income down for two years straight, and most farms unprofitable.

High interest rates, low commodity prices, labor shortages, trade shifts, climate disasters, and rising input costs are squeezing operations. She called for concrete actions to head off the storm, including on immigration:

“We need immigration reform that provides both border security and solves our labor challenges.” -Beth Ford, CEO and President of Land O’Lakes

NPR: She’s cared for America’s elderly for decades. Trump wants her gone by Sept. 8

Aurora, a Honduran nurse and mother of two, migrated to the U.S. in 1990 and found work in Los Angeles as a caregiver for older adults, often supporting the same clients for years. She gained legal status through Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but now the Trump administration is ending TPS and her future in the U.S. is uncertain.

The Trump administration’s decision to terminate TPS is sending shockwaves throughout the U.S. health-care system. Advocates warn that the policy could destabilize a fragile workforce, creating major gaps in patient care.

Washingtonian: Many DC Restaurant Workers Fear Going to Work Amid Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

In D.C.’s restaurant industry, immigrant workers make up much of the backbone of the sector and are increasingly fearful of ICE raids. One chef said although he’s approved for a legal work permit, even he is feeling fear of being tracked and targeted: “I’m very concerned. I’m stressed. I’m panicked sometimes.”

Owners say the crackdown is deepening staffing shortages at a time when restaurants are already struggling with high costs and thin margins.

Register now or share the link: RSVP Here

Get Involved

  1. Secure your spot today for ABIC’s Secure America’s Workforce — October Fly-In and Policy Summit in Washington, DC. Register here.
  2. Join one of ABIC’s Councils of 100 and let your voice be heard with your peers – sign up here. The Council of 100 is a coalition of top business leaders working to advance common-sense workforce solutions.
  3. Share your story: If your business is interested in engaging with the press as part of ABIC or amplifying your story on social media, take this quick survey to let us know your preferences. 
  4. We’re hiring! ABIC is looking for a new Field Director to help lead our national campaigns. Learn more and apply here.

Always available: ABIC Employer Resources Folder

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