Giving Compass' Take:
- Heather Chapman highlights an opinion piece arguing that immigrant labor in rural communities will help to expand our economy.
- While bolstering the economy is important, how can we base immigration reform on empathy for immigrants as people and not just for the benefits of their labor?
- Read more about immigration and the U.S. labor market.
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A new opinion piece in The New York Times argues that rural America needs immigrant labor to survive and thrive.
"Rural America has a growth problem. Business and industry desperately need workers, but the domestic labor pool is shallow, and the nation’s birthrate is slowing. There’s no better place to help expand our economy than in rural communities like ours. We need smart public policy for sustained growth — and immigration reform would be a big part of it," Robert Leonard and Matt Russell write. Leonard is the author of "Deep Midwest: Midwestern Explorations." Russell co-owns Coyote Run Farm. Both live in Marion County, Iowa.
Read the full article about rural America's need for immigrant labor by Heather Chapman at The Rural Blog.