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Know This Now, August 8, 2025: ‘Seat the Table’ Campaign Representing  Food, Wine and Hospitality Businesses Calls for Work Permits for Vital Immigrant Workers

By August 8, 2025August 15th, 2025No Comments


Top News: ‘Seat the Table’ Campaign Representing  Food, Wine and Hospitality Businesses Calls for Work Permits for Vital Immigrant Workers

Restaurants, bars, wineries, and hospitality businesses across the country are facing a severe labor crisis, and they’re joining forces with ABIC to call for action and real solutions.

Together, 18 leading organizations, including ABIC Action, the James Beard Foundation, Texas Restaurant Association and Latino Restaurant Association and more, representing businesses nationwide are calling on lawmakers to issue work permits for long-term, tax-paying immigrant workers who are vital to keeping kitchens running, tables seated and served, and local economies strong.




Sign our letter TODAY and make your voice heard.
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Our coalition is growing, but every additional voice and signature builds the momentum we need for real solutions.

You can also spread the word by sharing this newsletter with businesses in the food, wine and hospitality industry. See our full list of coalition partners:

Our communities can’t thrive without strong restaurants, bars, hotels, and wineries—and hospitality can’t thrive without a reliable workforce. It’s time for Congress and our leaders to deliver on work permits for the essential immigrants who keep America’s hospitality industry alive.


More from the ABIC Network:
Trump Continues to Tease New Policy For Migrant Farm Labor, ABIC Polling and Network Show Support for Work Permits
President Trump said Tuesday on CNBC’s Squawk Pod that his administration is working on new rules for migrant farm labor and that farm laborers aren’t easy to replace.

As the country’s need for workers and the food they help produce clashes with mass deportation plans, Trump acknowledged it would be difficult to find U.S.-born workers to fill some jobs. He has voiced support for farmers and their labor concerns many times this summer.

“We’re taking care of our farmers. We can’t let our farmers not have anybody,” he said on August 5.  “These people–you can’t replace them very easily.”

President Trump said new regulations could possibly include a “touchback” program that would require undocumented workers to leave and reenter the country legally, however no formal policy has been announced.

Discussions within the administration are ongoing, and key questions remain about what an immigration solution could look like, Politico reports, featuring recent ABIC-commissioned polling showing overwhelming support among battleground state voters for legal work permits for long-term, trusted immigrants working in agriculture, hospitality, and construction. Eighty-three percent of voters — including 78% of Republicans, 81% of Independents, 90% of Democrats, and 84% of Hispanic voters — agree with President Trump’s expressed support for allowing these immigrants to stay and work legally in the U.S.

Steve Obert, Indiana dairy farmer and Executive Director of Indiana Dairy Producers and ABIC Member, appeared on Fox Business programs Varney & Co. and the Big Money Show to reflect on the latest comments from President Trump.

“Without having a secure workforce we can’t have a secure food supply, and without a secure food supply we can’t have a secure nation,” Olbert said.

Comité de 100 and ABIC’s Agriculture Committee Welcomed Sen. Marshall (R-KS) for Workforce Reform Roundtable in Kansas City


ABIC, Comité de 100, Kansas Livestock Association, the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce and Dairy Farmers of America hosted Sen. Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) for a roundtable focused on one of the most pressing challenges facing many industries in America: securing a stable, year-round workforce.

Sen. Marshall emphasized President Trump’s continued commitment to supporting American farmers, business owners, and their operations as he talked with nearly 30 business leaders from agriculture, construction, business, and government. 

“These community conversations with our elected officials matter,” says Dennis Rodenbaugh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dairy Farmers of America. “Labor shortages are impacting agriculture in unique and urgent ways. We need solutions that are fair, focused, and built to support both business owners — including DFA farm families — and the essential workers who help them thrive.”

WATCH: How Immigration Raids are Reshaping the Economy

ABIC CEO Rebecca Shi joined the Rapid Response podcast, a business podcast that hosts leaders from some of the most successful companies in the world, from Airbnb to Nike, to talk about how immigration crackdowns are disrupting business operations, hitting bottom lines, and threatening key industries. 

In this in-depth conversation, also featured on Fast Company, Shi talks about why the Dignity Act offers a potential bipartisan path forward, how businesses can navigate the flawed E-Verify system and the political road ahead.

“I’ve been working on this for nearly two decades…Both sides have kicked this can down the road and have rather politicked than making solutions so it is time for Congress to really step up and fix this,” Shi said.

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, hospitality, healthcare, and more

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

Register now or share the link: RSVP Here

News Briefing:

New Yorker: A Decisive Moment for Trump’s Immigration Crackdown


Public opinion is shifting on immigration: a record high 79% of Americans now say immigration is good for the country, and Trump’s approval on the issue has dropped sharply. Still, a tripled ICE enforcement budget means the crackdown is likely to continue to intensify, sparking both national concern and internal debates.

WaPo: Latino GOP Lawmakers Voice Worry About Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign

Some Republicans in Congress are beginning to fear backlash from Latino voters over the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation of undocumented immigrants, many without criminal history.


The situation has reignited  talk about tackling immigration in Congress, an issue that has been near impossible to reach broad agreement on in recent years.


Legislative efforts include the Dignity Act introduced by Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) aimed at providing pathways to citizenship for DACA recipients and legal worker status for long-term, law-abiding migrants. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) also says he’s in talks with the White House on reviving House Republicans’ previously approved immigration bill.

Analysis: July Jobs Report Casts New Warning on Immigration and Worker Declines

The July jobs report showed a sharp drop in the U.S. labor force, driven by Trump’s immigration policies, wrote Forbes. Between January and July 2025, the number of foreign-born workers fell by 1.2 million, contributing to a total labor force decline of 402,000.

Immigrants, who have fueled over half of labor force growth for decades, are key to U.S. productivity and economic growth.

Fewer immigrants have not led to higher workforce participation among U.S.-born workers, whose participation rate has slightly declined.


Most economists doubt the economy can sustain payroll growth of more than 100,000 per month without more foreign-born workers coming in to bolster the labor force, reported the Wall Street Journal. Job creation probably can’t remain as low as it was from May to July without unemployment starting to climb more meaningfully, WSJ said.


Sen. Grassley (R-Iowa) Fields Immigration Questions From Iowa Factory Workers

During a visit from the senator, a factory president in Iowa expressed concerns for his employees, some of whom are part of  the H-2B visa program.

“H-2As, H-2Bs, professional people, green card people, things like that, you should be able to pass legislation because we should be able to expand those programs,” Grassley said in response.

Surveys Finds Businesses Feeling Immigration Policy Impact

A new survey by the Dallas Federal Reserve conducted in July shows:

  • 13% of businesses said their ability to hire immigrant workers has been impacted by recent immigration policy
  • Of those, 48% of the businesses said they increased hours for existing employees in response to difficulty finding workers
  • 43% of the businesses hiring this July said a lack of available applicants was the biggest hurdle to hiring new workers

Some of the comments on the survey also noted productivity and customers decreased when there were rumors of ICE raids.

A recent survey of Santa Barbara businesses found:

  • 50% of business owners reported that their businesses have been directly impacted by recent immigration enforcement activity in the region
  • 58%  percent reported “notable levels of fear and anxiety” among their employees

    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.

Key Employer Resources:

ABIC in the news. . . 

View all recent coverage here 

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