FRESNO, CA - Recently, the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) issued a statement in response to the House of Representatives' vote on H.R. 2 – The Secure the Border Act of 2023.

“Make no mistake, the California Fresh Fruit Association has long acknowledged that we have a broken immigration system here in the United States,” President Ian LeMay commented on the vote. “But this is not an issue that we can piecemeal our way through. H.R. 2 does nothing to help U.S. Agriculture and instead throws a longstanding foe in E-Verify in our faces.”

As noted in the release, CFFA will continue to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, just as it did in 2013 with the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act and more recently in 2022 with the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.

“Congress has long known that they must first address both our current agriculture workforce and modernize our guest worker programs to meet future needs. Only then can U.S. Agriculture interests support an E-Verify policy,” LeMay closed with. “We would like to thank Congressman John Duarte (CA-13) for voting ‘No’ on this measure. The Congressman understands the pressures before our industry and the realities that exist within his district. His call for both sides of the aisle to finally tackle the issue of immigration reform comprehensively is right, and we stand with him to advocate for a policy that does just that.”

ANUK will keep a close eye on the matter to report on the latest.

California Fresh Fruit Association