ISSUES POLICY
Secure Border, Functional Guest Worker Program TSCRA continues to push on these issues important to cattle raisers By J.R. Ramirez, Labor Committee chair, and Steve Sikes, Brand and Inspection Committee chair
I
MMIGRATION REFORM AND BORDER SE- curity will continue to be criti- cal issues in Washington, D.C.
TSCRA is actively working with Congress to develop and implement laws that secure our border and fi x our country’s guest worker pro- gram so the livestock industry can rely on a steady, stable year-round workforce. When we engage with lawmak-
ers we use TSCRA policy to lead and guide our discussion. Each of these policies is created and approved by TSCRA members. TSCRA’s border security policy
notes that ranchers and landown- ers along the border are regularly becoming victims of bodily harm, property damage, theft, intimida- tion and other violence by trespass- ers. Our policy also notes that the border security system the federal government has in place is porous and insuffi cient. It is crucial that our federal gov-
ernment take immediate actions to gain control over the U.S.-Mexico border and bring safety and secu- rity to residents living and working
112 The Cattleman October 2013
there. Specifi cally, TSCRA policy calls for Congress and the Depart- ment of Homeland Security to dedi- cate ample resources to border se- curity efforts by: 1. Maintaining suffi cient law enforcement personnel to properly secure the border and providing them with suf- fi cient authority, equipment and training.
2. Allocating additional resourc- es to state, county and local law enforcement agencies for border security.
3. Implementing effective tech- nology and surveillance pro- grams to supply local, state and federal law enforcement offi cials and local landowners with valuable information re- lated to border control efforts. Our policy also calls for an in-
crease in the number of check sta- tions along the Texas-Mexico bor- der. It goes further to support state and federal laws that better protect landowners from liability resulting from illegal border activities and, when feasible, reimbursement to
landowners for property damages caused by illegal border activities. TSCRA policy also supports the
continued inspection of cattle on the Mexican side of the border over the long-term and urges Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide funding and resources for more secure federal and state inspections to occur. As much as we need tighter bor-
der security, we also need a re- formed immigration system that curbs illegal immigration and al- lows for a feasible, sensible guest worker program. Our policy states there is a continued need for a guest worker program that allows immi- grants to work in the U.S. without placing excessive bureaucratic bur- dens on employers. As ranchers, we understand the
vast majority of illegal immigrants crossing our borders are seeking work, and we need this labor force to do the agriculture jobs that most Americans won’t do. From a livestock perspective
we need these workers to be able to stay here for longer periods of
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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