Strengthening the Valley Workforce and Economy

The Valley’s economy depends on a workforce that is stable, legal, and protected. Labor shortages are now affecting every corner of the community, including small businesses, restaurants, retailers, food processors, logistics companies, construction crews, hospitality, care providers, and the farms that anchor our regional economy. Outdated visa programs and long delays make it harder for employers to plan ahead and force many to operate without the clarity required to grow. Workers, in turn, face inconsistent processes that limit their ability to contribute fully and safely to the local economy.

To strengthen the region, the system must be updated so all employers can legally hire the workers they need through clear and efficient pathways. This includes improving agricultural and non-agricultural visa programs, expanding access for small and mid sized businesses, reducing processing times, and creating a reliable year-round workforce process that supports planning and stability. Clearer rules and modernized guidelines help prevent exploitation, reduce turnover, and allow honest employers to operate without navigating conflicting requirements from one year to the next. A stronger system ensures the Valley can meet labor demand, control costs for consumers, support local businesses, and protect workers.

A modern immigration workforce system is essential for long-term economic growth in the Valley, and updating it is one of the most direct ways to strengthen the future of every community in the region.

Stabilizing Families and Our Community

Many households in the Valley include both citizens and non-citizens, and the uncertainty created by outdated laws and long processing delays affects far more than individual families. Schools see its effects in student performance and attendance. Local employers experience it when workers cannot plan their lives. Neighborhoods feel it when instability makes it harder for families to participate fully in community life. When people live with unresolved status or unpredictable outcomes, the impact spreads across classrooms, workplaces, service organizations, and the local economy.

To strengthen community stability, the immigration system must provide predictable and timely avenues for long-term residents who have built their lives in the Valley. Clear and consistent rules are needed to prevent unnecessary family separation and to give people the ability to resolve their cases in a reasonable timeframe instead of waiting years. Streamlined processing, case transparency, and practical pathways for long-standing residents help ensure children can focus on school, workers can contribute without fear, and families can remain connected to the communities they support. A more predictable and humane system strengthens every part of the Valley, creating neighborhoods where families can build stable futures and fully contribute to the shared life of the community.

Restoring Trust & Protecting Our Communities

Public safety suffers when residents are afraid to call for help, report crimes, or speak with first responders. In many neighborhoods, people have seen family members detained unexpectedly or taken away with little information, and the weight of those experiences makes it harder for families to go about their daily lives. Current federal policy disrupts the daily life for entire neighborhoods and makes it harder for first responders to maintain safety that our families depend on. Strengthening community trust means drawing a clear line between emergency services and immigration enforcement so residents know that contacting first responders will bring assistance, not additional turmoil. First responders deserve the ability to serve the public without conflicting federal expectations that make their jobs harder and erode the trust they need to keep communities safe. Clear, consistent guidelines allow officers, firefighters, and EMTs to focus on genuine threats within our community. When families can seek help with confidence and first responders can carry out their duties without hesitation, cooperation improves and every neighborhood in the Valley becomes safer and more stable.

Humanizing Our Approach and Restoring Order at the Border

The current immigration system places enormous strain on families, neighborhoods, and local institutions across the Valley. Long delays, unclear processes, and sudden enforcement actions disrupt daily life and leave communities uncertain about their future. Families are separated without clear communication, cases linger for years without resolution, and local service providers are forced to carry the burden of a system that has not been properly updated in decades. These failures touch every part of the community, from schools and workplaces to health centers and local agencies.

A modern, functioning system must begin by reducing these harms. Processing needs to be significantly faster and more transparent so families are not left in limbo for years at a time. Due process must be restored so individuals can resolve their cases fairly, openly, and on a reasonable timeline. Outdated visa caps should be updated to reflect today’s economic needs, and agencies must be equipped with the staff and technology required to handle cases efficiently. Clear, consistent guidelines help prevent unnecessary family separation and reduce the fear that destabilizes entire communities.

Strengthening the system also requires improving how the border is managed. Humane, modern tools are needed to ensure that families and workers are processed safely and quickly, while enforcement remains focused on traffickers, smugglers, and serious criminal threats. Border officers deserve clear and consistent policies that do not change unpredictably and that allow them to distinguish between people seeking safety or work and those who intend to do harm. Reliable enforcement practices reduce chaos, improve safety, and support a fair and orderly system.

A comprehensive modernization of immigration and border processes creates a system that protects families, restores fairness, strengthens community stability, and supports a secure and predictable approach to border management. When the laws are clear, timely, and humane, the Valley is safer, stronger, and better prepared for the future.