New American Economy and American Farm Bureau Federation Release New Immigration Reform Ad
Date: July 31, 2014
CONTACTS
Ryan Williams, Partnership for a New American Economy, [email protected]
Will Rodger, American Farm Bureau Federation, [email protected]
Ad Featuring Texas Farmer Emphasizes Agriculture Industry’s Need for Immigration Reform, to air in D.C. Taxis and Airports; Movie Theaters, State Fairs and Rodeos Across the Country
Watch the ad here.
New York, NY — New American Economy (NAE) and the American Farm Bureau Federation today released a new ad calling on Congress to pass immigration reform now. The ad features Bernie Thiel, a Texas farmer who has had to destroy some of his own crops for two years in a row because he has been unable to find the workers he needs to harvest.
The ad, which premiered today in Washington, D.C. taxis and airports, will play in the following locations:
- Washington D.C. taxis
- Reagan National and Dulles International airports
- Movie theatres in 16 key congressional districts
- Rodeos
- State Fairs
“A farmer should never have to destroy a crop due to the lack of an adequate labor force,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “If that situation doesn’t illustrate the clear need for agricultural labor reform, I’m not sure what will. Ultimately, as a nation we will decide whether we import our labor or import our food. While our nation’s current political climate makes comprehensive reform a challenge, we are determined that ensuring an adequate farm workforce and securing our borders are compatible goals that are worthy of continued pursuit.”
“This ad sends a clear message to Congress – if you don’t fix our broken immigration system, it’s American farms that will feel the pain,” said John Feinblatt, Chairman of New American Economy. “Our farmers are struggling to do their jobs because they don’t have the workers they need. So while Congress does nothing to address agriculture labor shortages, farms fail, food rots, and we import more produce from overseas.”
This ad is part of NAE’s ad campaign, launched in April to highlight the need for immigration reform across broad sectors of the economy.
