Commentary
I don’t fit neatly into a political box, especially when it comes to immigration. I’m a wife to a man who came here illegally at age 16. I’ve taken legal guardianship of an unaccompanied minor and folded him into my family. I work in both hospitality and agriculture—industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor. My views on the border don’t align with any party line, and I’m aware that people on both sides of the aisle might find something in this article to disagree with. But that doesn’t make the conversation less necessary. It makes it more urgent.The United States needs labor. That’s not up for debate. We’ve raised a few generations of kids who are not equipped for hard, uncomfortable work—especially those who came of age during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve had more than 350 employees at any one time in my businesses, and I’ve watched the workforce shift dramatically in just 10 years.
