The Brief
Dr. Emily Williams Knight said an expansion of the current U.S. work permit system could help alleviate workforce shortages in the food industry.
Knight said by expanding work programs it helps workers come out of the shadows.
Knight believes there's a way to meet President Trump's border security wants and the wants of industry that rely on immigrants.
A seat at the table.
That's the name of a new campaign launched by the American Business Immigration Coalition.
The group is calling for the Trump administration to expand the work permit program for immigrants, believing it will stabilize a labor shortage in the food services industry from the farm to the tabletop.
FOX 7's Rudy Koski sat down with Texas Restaurant Association President and CEO Dr. Emily Williams Knight to talk about why the time is right for an expansion of the program.
Immigration as part of the workforce
Dr. Emily Williams Knight:There is no doubt that while we were very fortunate to come out of the pandemic in a fairly strong position really compared to so much of the country, I call it almost death by a thousand cuts. And one of those big elements is immigration as a huge part of our workforce.
FOX 7's Rudy Koski: Is this about making immediate change or is this about inserting yourself into the broader immigration debate?
Knight: Yeah, such a good question. I think it's both. I think that one of the things that President Trump ran on was securing the border, but he also ran on making a strong economy, and we believe you can have both. And so, now that we have a strong and secure border, it is time to focus on how to have a stronger economy.
Koski: Detractors will say that this is a backdoor attempt at amnesty. Is that what this is?
Knight:It is absolutely not. We're not even using the words amnesty or citizenship. What we were trying to do was shine a light on the role that these folks play in our businesses.
And for us, it's obviously in restaurants that they're cooking and preparing food. They're established themselves. Many of them are very long-term employees. They contribute a tremendous amount. They're doing the right things.
And so, no, we're not asking for citizenship or amnesty. We're asking for this specific population to get the work permits. So they can actually come every day, work, pay their taxes, and contribute to their communities.
The current guest worker program
Koski: We have a guest worker permitting process. Is it just broken?
Knight: I don't know if it's broken or not, because much of it doesn't apply to our industry. And so if you think about the H-1B, that's really technical, so you have a very specific technical skill like engineering or computer science. Then we have the H2A, that is a seasonal visa just for agriculture. And the H1B is a one-time that could be used for our industry, but we're talking about in some cases 20% of our workforce.
Koski: Does the coalition want to expand these work permits to undocumented people who are here now or will keep it with people who are doing the process legitimately?
Knight: Yeah, we would like to find a deferred action work permit for those that are here. Set the standard, right? Paying taxes, no criminal record, aka having committed a crime, is in one of these very covered industries like dairy farms, agriculture, preparing food in restaurants, and give those folks an ability to remain on a work permit as we sort out a much bigger action that Congress has to take, which is what we need is immigration reform.
Improving the system
Koski: It seems that having a work permit, that it actually would provide a step towards citizenship. But I think more importantly, and correct me if I'm wrong, it takes people out of the shadows and it prevents these people from being taken advantage of. Because there are business owners who are bad actors who will either shortchange or not pay these individuals. Will this stop that?
Knight: I think right now for those bad actors or those that are violating wage laws or harming individuals, there's a lot of processes in place to go after those people. But your second point is so important, and I do believe that by having a formal work process, you will help people come out of the shadows.
Koski: How many more permits do we need?
Knight: Don't want to set a cap. Honestly, what we're very hopeful of, and I think what people ask me, Emily, why are you so hopeful right now? You know, under the last administration, they had a trifecta: House, Senate, and the executive branch. We made no progress on immigration reform. We now have a president who has openly come out and said, hey, I might want to think about this population of workers.
And so what we are trying to say is, President Trump, we hear you, we can be a part of this and allow us to work together and bring our ideas to keep your border secure. But let's also give a chance to those people that may have been in our country for 10, 20, 30 years, in our case, working in our kitchens. Most Americans, I think, if you lay out those options, might be a little less black and white than they appear today.
The Source
Information in this article comes from Rudy Koski's interview with Dr. Emily Williams Knight.
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