Immigration has historically been an economic boon for both Americans and those looking to migrate here. At no point has the need for immigration reform been greater than it is now. Cornerstone American industries, including agriculture, transportation, construction, hospitality and infrastructure, rely on the contributions of immigrants. At the USHBC we know that businesses in these industries do not operate in a vacuum, and our broken immigration system continues to pose threats to their livelihood and our economy. At the end of 2022, there were over two million cases backlogged in immigration courts. Additionally, there were roughly 3 million reported border crossings. The combination of a backlogged system and a growing influx of immigrants has created an environment that encourages undocumented immigration, while keeping those going through the proper routes of employment at bay. The business and economic impacts of our current immigration system are felt by all Americans, in the form of higher food prices, housing costs and unavailable services. For example, our nation's food supply relies on the existence of functional guest worker programs and legal migration. Food prices rose over 11% in a year due to labor shortages and supply chain issues, which have increasingly worsened in the agriculture industry. Additionally, we lose roughly 10 million tons of unharvested crops each year because we don’t have enough people to harvest it. Immigrants have historically supported our agriculture industry, and we need to make sure that is still possible. The USHBC has been involved in finding a solution with an economic focus to our current crisis. We need to address the issues at our border, while creating an immigration system that provides economic opportunity for all parties involved.

Fast Facts (Updated Jan. 2023):

• Expected to reach over 5 million border crossing by the end of fiscal year 2023.

• Over two million backlogged immigration cases, 1.6 million of them being asylum seekers.

• Immigrants make up 73% of labor in agriculture, meaning food price and availability is heavily reliant on access to that labor.

• As of Nov 2022, there were 10.5 million unfilled jobs in the United States, but only 5.8 million Americans were looking for work. Many of these open jobs are traditionally filled by immigrants.