SAN ANTONIO – The Texas Restaurant Association is ringing the alarm as a federal immigration bill is advancing through the U.S. Congress.
While TRA members said they don’t oppose the bill itself, they said it needs to include a work permit program for law-abiding immigrants or food costs will continue to rise higher for consumers.
Experts are letting lawmakers know how thin the restaurant industry is already stretched.
“Food costs are up 35 percent, labor costs are up significantly, credit card processing fees, rent, insurance, taxes. Every single thing is up double digits,” Texas Restaurant Association Chief Public Affairs Officer Kelsey Erickson-Streufert said.
Erickson-Streufert said job openings are difficult to fill.
“We never have enough workers in our industry in Texas,” she said.
Erickson-Streufert now worries a new federal immigration bill could whittle those numbers down more by further limiting which immigrants can stay in the United States.
HR 9773, which was filed by Texas Congressman Chip Roy is called the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act. Recently, the bill just passed a House committee.
Roy said the legislation would codify key border security policies implemented under President Trump, which includes measures to end catch-and-release by strengthening asylum and parole standards, mandating detention and providing additional tools to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Texas Restaurant Association has joined a national coalition called Secure America’s Workforce, which is pressing politicians about pairing the bill with work permits.
“Just a common sense work permit solution. We’re not asking for citizenship. We’re not asking for open borders or anything like that,” Erickson-Streufert said. “We have hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who have already been contributing to our economy, to our food supply, to our communities for decades in many instances. So, can we get these people a legal work permit? Let them pay taxes. Let them contribute in a meaningful way.”
If that doesn’t happen, the association said Americans would eventually have to pay a higher price. Erickson-Streufert is also concerned some businesses may have to close altogether.
She said America’s melting pot of cultures has always been represented in the food industry.
“Our data suggests that immigrants make up about 20% of our workforce. Of course, many of those are documented legal immigrants, some are not,” Erickson-Streufert said. “On the other hand, we know 36% of restaurant operators are immigrants.”
Similar to restaurants, coalition members from the construction, hospitality and elder care industries said immigrants represent a large part of their workforces.
Erickson-Streufert said the TRA has been advocating for work permits for years and believes the current conversations with lawmakers are reassuring.
“We’re actually more hopeful than we’ve been in a long time,” Erickson-Streufert said.
She said that’s partially because of where border security is at this point.
“When we used to advocate on this issue, so many lawmakers told us we can’t even talk about work permits until we secure the border. Now, the border is secure,” Erickson-Streufert said. “Unauthorized crossings are essentially zero, and so, we think that really opens up a conversation that we haven’t been able to have in decades.”
However, the biggest reason seems to be the demands of the people.
“Voters, regardless of their politics, are telling us they can’t afford their groceries, their health care, housing costs,” Erickson-Streufert said. “All of those industries are incredibly dependent on immigrant labor.”
The coalition is giving lawmakers options: add the work permits to the bill, pass a separate proposal or an executive order.
Coalition members said the key is that it happens sooner rather than later, especially if HR 9773 makes its way to the House for a full vote.
The TRA said it is encouraged by two other federal bipartisan bills filed within the last month. Those bills address work permits for industries such as agriculture and keeping law-abiding immigrants in the United States.