More than 70 Nebraska organizations across agriculture, business, healthcare, education, and faith sectors are calling on Congress to overhaul federal immigration laws, following recent worksite enforcement actions that advocates say have torn apart families and worsened workforce shortages.
The Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities issued a joint statement Friday in response to this month’s large-scale ICE raids in South Omaha, calling them “symptoms of a broader 40-year policy failure.”
“These events—and their overwhelming impact on people and workplaces—are symptoms of a broader 40-year policy failure by Congress to update our federal immigration laws,” the statement reads.
The Alliance argues that current immigration laws are outdated and fail to meet Nebraska’s labor demands, with an estimated 50,000 open jobs across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and hospitality.
“We all want to know there will be doctors, tech support, and a clean room when a loved one needs medical care,” the statement continues. “But immigrant neighbors cannot continue to contribute to Nebraska’s success while Congress ignores the hurdles, uncertainty, and challenges of outdated immigration policy.”
State leaders echoed the concern. Nebraska Cattlemen’s Laura Field warned that without a stable workforce, communities themselves are at risk of hollowing out. Nebraska Dairy Association Director Kris Bousquet called the current trajectory “unsustainable.”
The Alliance is urging Nebraska’s congressional delegation to lead efforts for a comprehensive legislative solution, rather than rely on shifting executive orders.
“It’s time for stability for families, employers, communities, and the systems we all rely on,” the statement concludes. “It’s time for Congress to act.”
The statement provided a graphic listing the growing amount of organizations in the alliance:
Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities