COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Business leaders in Iowa and Nebraska are concerned that stricter immigration policies could exacerbate an already challenging labor shortage.
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During an August meeting with Iowa hospitality industry leaders in Council Bluffs, Sen. Chuck Grassley acknowledged the difficulties facing immigration reform efforts. The Republican senator pointed to past legislative failures, including a 2018 bill designed to protect DACA recipients.
"Because we figured the kids brought here by their parents didn't violate the law, the parents violated the law. It was my bill. We couldn't even get 60 votes to get it up," Grassley said.
Bryan Slone, former president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, has been advocating for immigration reform and agrees with Grassley that achieving meaningful reform is an uphill battle.
"I had the opportunity to work in the Reagan Administration and we were talking about immigration reform back in those day," he said.
Slone says legal immigration is critical to a healthy economic future in the United States.
"There simply aren't enough young Americans to fill these jobs anymore," Slone said.
According to a Nebraska Chamber of Commerce report, immigrants contribute $7.3 billion to the state's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and fill critical positions ranging from rural healthcare to urban construction projects.
"If you look at the towns that are growing in Nebraska, those are the ones that have lots of new immigration," Slone said.
Business leaders are closely monitoring the White House's immigration policies. Grassley suggested that Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller's influence may be creating obstacles to reform efforts, mentioning Miller more than once during the Council Bluffs lunch.
"And I would just assume, that his assistant in this area is Stephen Miller, when he said we're not going to raid the farms and the restaurants, that he got all these calls from people that say 'You gotta get all 12 million people out of here,'" Grassley said.
Despite the political challenges, advocates remain hopeful for bipartisan solutions.
"I think the key to this is obviously nonpartisan, legal immigration reform," Slone said.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
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