Republicans, Democrats and Independents Overwhelmingly Support Bipartisan Efforts to Reform the U.S. Immigration System
WASHINGTON, December 5, 2022—As Congress considers immigration legislation during the lame duck session, new polling shows that four-in-five U.S. voters (82%) support Republicans and Democrats in Congress working together to lower food prices through comprehensive immigration reform.
U.S. voters are near unanimous in their concern for rising food prices, and an overwhelming majority want to see Congress work together in a bipartisan fashion to address high food prices through immigration reform, according to a new Morning Consult national tracking poll commissioned by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). Nine-in-ten Democratic voters (88%), four-in-five Republican voters (79%), and four-in-five independent voters (80%) say that addressing food costs through bipartisan immigration reform is important to them.
The Senate is now considering taking up a narrow immigration bill called the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a commonsense, bipartisan bill that will help ensure a secure, reliable labor force for our agriculture and food industry. Three-in-five voters (63%) support Congress passing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act with very low levels of opposition (11%).
“An overwhelming majority of American voters want Congress to work together to address rising food costs through immigration reform,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO. “Fortunately, Congress has before it a tremendous opportunity to do just that. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a bipartisan bill that would lower food costs while also providing solutions for undocumented immigrants already in the United States and supporting our nation’s border security.”
In IDFA’s assessment, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act would provide more flexibility for employers with year-round labor needs while ensuring critical protections for workers. It supports border security by establishing a mandatory, nationwide E-Verify system that would allow enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to legally work in the United States. Most voters surveyed by Morning Consult support this bill.
“This polling underscores that immigration reform is not as divisive an issue when the repercussions of inaction are explained to voters,” he said. “We urge Congress to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to provide meaningful relief to food producers, processors, and consumers alike.”
The poll was conducted November 11-14, 2022, among a sample of 1991 registered voters. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of registered voters based on gender by age, educational attainment, race, marital status, home ownership, race by educational attainment, 2020 presidential vote, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
To read the results of the poll, visit here. To learn more about the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, visit here.
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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.3 million jobs that generate $41.6 billion in direct wages and $753 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent 90 percent of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.
IDFA Media Contact
Andrew Jerome
Associate Vice President, Communications