Trainer Dale Romans, president Kentucky HBPA (KHBPA photo)
ABIC press release
In conjunction with the American Business Immigration Coalition, the Kentucky HBPA held a media briefing on the importance of the immigrant workforce in the horse and agriculture industries and the need for bipartisan legislation to create a legal path forward.
The event took place outside of trainer Dale Romans’ barn at Churchill Downs.
Below are videos of speakers from this morning’s briefing.
The Speakers were:
- Dale Romans, President, Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association
- Eric Hamelback, CEO, National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association
- Joe Stave, Monterey Mushrooms
- Oscar Gonzales, Vice Chairman, California Horse Racing Board
- Will Velie, Equine Immigration Attorney
“It’s horse racing and a lot of industries. We need a commonsense path to long-term legalization. We’re not talking citizenship but some kind of work permit… They’re only here to feed their families from Central and South America, but it’s also about business. Businesses in this country cannot operate without a strong labor force… I’m optimistic it can happen. Trump is saying all the right things,” said trainer Dale Romans taking questions from the media.
“We’re at 4 percent unemployment. These are people who pay their taxes, they pay social security. They’ll never see the benefit of social security, but they’re paying into it. We might as well make it legal. We cannot operate without them.
“Everything starts in the White House, is the word we’re getting. We need Congressional action after he (President Trump) approves it. The White House is the place we need to start… We just want to be in the conversation when he decides to do something…. I think he’s a businessman at the end of day, and that’s a positive for us.”
Click on names for videos below.
Eric Hamelback, CEO National HBPA. “Our workforce, the backside, the backbone of our industry, the vast majority of them aren’t workers that we have from an American pipeline. We know in the United States that degree of separation from agriculture has hurt our workforce. But thankfully, we have programs, we have other countries where the horse, livestock, agriculture, agri-business is still very important. It is very important for us to be able to have this pipeline, this program where we can keep workers. Get them here on a visa, get them on a fast track to a green card so that we can have them for a consistent work force. It’s necessary for us, necessary for our horses.”
Rebecca Shi, CEO, American Business Immigration Coalition: “We need to both secure the border and secure America’s work force…. The President has reinforced his commitment to secure the workforce. The President has said … multiple times… he wants to create a legal path for farmworkers and hotel workers. We’re really thrilled about that… .78% of the backstretch workers in the equine industry are immigrants; over 70 percent of our jockeys are Latinos and immigrants
Joe Stave of Monterey Mushrooms (one of America’s largest mushroom producers): “We’re intrinsically linked with the horse-racing industry. Our business relies on their stable bending, their waste stream (soiled straw) for part of our raw materials for making composts to grow mushrooms…. We also have similar needs in terms of labor.”
Oscar Gonzales, vice chairman, California Horse Racing Board: “We think we’re at a real critical point with market access challenges, with labor shortages, with prices going high. We think the American public is ready for a conversation.”
Will Velie, immigration attorney specializing in horse-racing industry: “The lifeblood of this industry is immigrant labor. They come here because they work in the industry, they love the industry. We need to make sure and take care of them.”
Pável Urruchi, senior chaplain, Churchill Downs backstretch and Trackside Training Center (led a prayer for the backstretch workers). “Anything that can be done so we can continue to have them come here would be amazing.”
