Who will milk the cows?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I wrote this article on immigration almost three years ago. I answer the question many people keep asking today as presidential hopefuls start\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2015\/08\/who-will-milk-cows.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who will milk the cows?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I wrote this article on immigration almost three years ago. 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Last week I heard a news story on the radio reporting that currently two thirds of cow milkers in the United States are undocumented immigrants. Coming from a four generation dairy family and having spent many hours in a milking parlor, I immediately took interest in the story. \u00a0Dairy farmers are very attentive to the immigration reform debate since the most basic and most necessary step of their industry is in jeopardy, the milking of the cows. \u00a0Cows must be milked, and be milked twice a day (and sometimes three times), every single day of the year. \u00a0Without a labor force, who will milk the cows?<\/p>\n

This dilemma points to the heart of the current immigration situation in our country. \u00a0There is a high demand for low paying, low skilled workers but these workers do not come into the United States through authorized channels. \u00a0Why don\u2019t they come in legally? \u00a0Many naively state today, \u201cmy ancestors came here legally, these people must go back, get in line and come in legally.\u201d \u00a0This is a na\u00efve statement because those who say it are unaware of the current immigration system. \u00a0Asking an immigrant today to get in line like an immigrant one hundred years ago can be compared to asking Saint Peter to show you his iphone. \u00a0It is impossible.<\/p>\n

The United States Conference of Bishops recently issued a statement answering the question \u201cWhy Don\u2019t Unauthorized Migrants Come Here Legally?\u201d \u00a0The answer provided is simple: there are no legal paths for most migrants to enter the United States. \u00a0Currently one can enter the United States legally under one of three conditions: 1) A family member who is a US citizen or resident petitions you, 2) You are fleeing political persecution in your home country and there is fear you may be killed, 3) You are a high-skilled worker and a US company \u00a0sponsors you.<\/p>\n

Most unauthorized immigrants in the United States are low-skilled workers. \u00a0They work in agriculture, meatpacking, landscaping and construction industries which do not qualify as high-skilled work. \u00a0An estimated 300,000 undocumented low-skilled workers enter the United States yearly and the US government officially makes available only 5,000 greencards for low-skilled workers. \u00a0Temporary work visas exist (66,000 per year), but US companies shy away from these because the red tape is tremendous and the expenses are high. <\/p>\n

The United States Bishops firmly believe that immigrants should come into the United States lawfully, but they point out that the current immigration system does not recognize the country\u2019s need for low-skilled labor. \u00a0The demand far exceeds the supply. \u00a0The Church calls for a reform that increases the number of visas available for low-skilled workers which will decrease the number of unauthorized entries into the country. <\/p>\n

I encourage you to read this document found under the immigration section of the website of the United States Conference of Bishops. \u00a0Click here to read it<\/a>. \u00a0It will be a small concrete step to have accurate information regarding the current immigration system and to know exactly what our bishops are calling for in the midst of the immigration debate in our country.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"