Getting things right when it comes to immigration is essential for the state

That’s the message the Nebraska Alliance for Thinking Communities – a diverse coalition of more than 60 business, agriculture, labor, faith and refugee advocacy groups – is taking to state leaders and Nebraska’s all-Republican congressional delegation.

The state’s workforce problem is perhaps paradoxically rooted in the fact that Nebraska has, for decades, had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country: as of August, the rate of The state’s 2.7% was fifth lowest behind South Dakota’s 2% rate.

But because the state welcomes relatively few immigrants from the United States, it relies on an aging workforce that is shrinking due to the retirement of baby boomers, which will peak in the coming years. years.

And the state’s declining birth rate shows there won’t be enough Nebraskans to replace retirees, let alone augment the workforce of a growing economy.

“If nothing else happens, this labor problem could get significantly worse,” said Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce. “And against that backdrop, unfortunately, our federal immigration laws are long outdated, in need of repair, and, frankly, changes need to be made soon to support our thriving communities.”

Among the alliance’s proposed “common-sense” federal policy changes are: creating a way for longtime community members to apply for permanent residency; create a way for “dreamers” and refugees with temporary protected status to apply for permanent residency, increase and streamline family- and employment-related visas, and expand work authorization for those who have a student visa.

At the state level, the alliance encourages policy changes aimed at increasing the availability of affordable housing, child care and transportation in Nebraska.

The state must also make its communities more welcoming, by investing in New Nebraskans Centers and removing red tape surrounding the transfer of professional licenses. More fundamentally, Nebraskans and their leaders must view immigration as a solution, not a problem.

The alliance’s proposals, the implementation of which would clearly benefit the state and its future, appear at first glance to have broad support.

But they run counter to ongoing anti-immigration efforts and the positions of state leaders, who have joined lawsuits seeking to end the DACA program, reduce undocumented immigrants’ access to immigration. Affordable Care Act and sending Nebraska State Patrol troopers to Texas.

There, Gov. Jim Pillen told would-be immigrants to “stay on your side of the river.” The state’s congressional delegation, led by Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, says no action on immigration reform can take place until the southern border is secure, but it has voted against or did not vote on a strict border security measure that the Republican Party killed in Donald Trump. order in May.

We can only hope that the seemingly intractable impasse can be resolved after the next election and that Congress, the White House, and the State Legislature will each do their part to secure the border and improve the process. Nebraska’s future depends on its success.