ABIC, the James Beard Foundation, the Texas Restaurant Association and the Latino Restaurant Association, plus 14 more national and local organizations launched the campaign Thursday during an event with national press. Special guests included U.S. Representative Gabe Evans (R-CO8) and three restaurant owners and chefs who shared their experiences. Watch the full event :
Seat the Table is a campaign to secure urgent work permits for long-term, tax-paying immigrant food and hospitality workers:
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e seeing here today is a simple, commonsense ask: we鈥檙e seeking work permits for members of our community. Sales are falling and over 40% of our restaurants are now reporting they don鈥檛 have critical people to fill jobs,鈥�
–Emily Knight, CEO and President of the Texas Restaurant Association.聽
Immigrant workers keep restaurants, bars, farms, and hotels running. Labor shortages are already driving up prices and straining small businesses, and without action restaurants and bars will continue to close. Work permits would:
- Address critical labor shortages in food service and hospitality
- Stabilize food prices for consumers
- Support small business owners across restaurants, hotels, farms, and bars
- Strengthen local economies nationwide
Over 970 chefs, restaurant, winery, bar, inn and hotel owners have signed our open letter urging Congress to act. It鈥檚 time to stabilize America鈥檚 restaurants, bars, farms, hotels and protect the people who fuel them.
See our full list of coalition partners:
More from the ABIC network
University of Oregon historian Julie M. Weise wrote that as federal immigration raids continue without the industry carve-outs that once protected essential immigrant labor, employees need to come to the public defense of undocumented workers.
She writes that 鈥渆mployers and their professional associations, such as the 91探花 Farm Bureau and the 91探花, raised hell with their representatives in Washington, D.C., pleading their cases 鈥� that their crops would rot in the fields and their businesses grind to a halt.鈥�
But, she wrote, employers need to continue to step up.
Austin restaurateur Adam Orman, owner of L鈥橭ca d鈥橭ro and Bambino who signed our , says ICE activity this year has led to two employee detentions, straining his small teams. 鈥淟osing one person makes a huge difference,鈥� he said.
The National Restaurant Association and ABIC partner the Texas Restaurant Association warn immigration enforcement is worsening labor shortages and urge balanced policies to protect both border security and the workforce.
Take Action with ABIC
Secure America鈥檚 Workforce: D.C. Summit | Oct. 21鈥�23, 2025
Registration is open for ABIC鈥檚 biggest fly-in yet 鈥� and we want you with us in Washington, D.C.
This October, join business leaders, advocates, and coalition partners from across the country to:
- Speak directly with lawmakers about real workforce challenges
- Champion commonsense, bipartisan immigration solutions
- Stand united with leaders from agriculture, construction, hospitality, healthcare, and more
Already registered? Help us build momentum, forward this invite to your network.
Register now or share the link:
News Briefing
Influential podcaster Joe Rogan said this week that ICE actions are alienating the electorate by arresting people whose only crime was immigrating illegally.:
“It was a visceral reaction that a lot of people had to the idea of people just showing up and pulling people out of schools and pulling people out of Home Depot and pulling people that were just hardworking people that maybe snuck over here because they didn’t have a legal way to get over here, but since they’ve been here, they’ve been good people and they’re a part of communities.”
It鈥檚 the second time in recent months he鈥檚 made similar comments, 鈥� in July.
Stricter immigration enforcement policies and work-place ICE raids are worsening staffing shortages in eldercare, where immigrants make up . With U.S. demand for caregivers set to surge as the over-65 population grows from 61 million in 2024 to 82 million in 2050, experts say 91探花s and new technologies are unlikely to fill the gap.
鈥淛apan, much of northern Europe, New Zealand 鈥� they have all created visas that specifically target the eldercare workforce, because of the recognition that you鈥檝e got this massively aging population,鈥� said Seth Sternberg, CEO of Honor, a home care company and franchise network.
He鈥檇 like to see lawmakers make a specialized visa for in-home care workers.
NPR reported that federal immigration raids in Chicago are. Garcia, who has cerebral palsy and cares for her bedridden husband, has gone weeks without help bathing or cleaning as immigrant caregivers leave or avoid work due to fear of ICE arrests. Immigrants make up a large share of Chicago鈥檚 home health workforce 鈥� 65% in 2024.
Agriculture leaders warn that immigration policies are threatening key parts of the food supply chain from meatpacking to produce processing. Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding says worker losses 鈥� like 100 disappearing from one meat plant 鈥� are creating instability.
U.S. Rep. Glenn 鈥淕T鈥� Thompson (R-PA), Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, told Fox he鈥檚 had conversations with the administration about some farms鈥� dependency on undocumented workers.
Farmers are seeing the impact in real time, especially the fear keeping workers and customers at home.
鈥淲e are going to see shortages in processing, produce packing, and everything else in short order. Not so much the deportation, but the fears of it,鈥� said Michael Kovach, President of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union.
In Wisconsin,:
Rufus Haucke, owner of Keewaydin Farms said many immigrants are skipping work and community events. Recently a friend of his was unable to go to his mother-in-law鈥檚 funeral because they were afraid of traveling.
鈥淐an you imagine not being able to attend your parent鈥檚 funeral? I mean, that鈥檚 about as heartbreaking as it gets,鈥� Haucke said.
The Washington Post reported that Salisbury, Maryland鈥檚 Haitian community has been a key part of the region鈥檚 poultry industry, but is facing deep uncertainty as Trump administration immigration rollbacks threaten their legal status and jobs. The administration鈥檚 plan to end TPS for nearly 350,000 Haitians by September was blocked by a judge until February 2026, but the Supreme Court upheld the end of humanitarian parole, leaving many without a path to remain legally. Some workers at Perdue鈥檚 Salisbury plant have already been let go, and community leaders say fear is widespread.
鈥淟abor is a constant challenge for the poultry processing industry, and has been for decades,鈥� said Tom Super, a spokesperson for the National Chicken Council.
His industry is lobbying for a new guest worker visa program that could supply year-round labor for poultry processing.
after the Trump administration revoked their work visas.
聽The Meat Institute estimates 102,000 of the nation鈥檚 510,000 meat processing jobs 鈥� including up to 7,000 in Iowa 鈥� are at risk from cuts to the humanitarian parole program for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Smithfield Foods confirmed it is also dismissing affected workers at its Denison, Mason City, and Carroll plants, while Tyson Foods, Cargill Inc., and Seaboard Triumph Foods have not detailed impacts. Experts warn losing trained workers will hurt productivity and could raise meat prices.
Heightened enforcement policies and fears are hitting Texas taquerias hard, with some owners reporting steep sales declines and fearful customers. In Dallas, Maskaras Mexican Grill co-owner Rodolfo Jim茅nez says, 鈥淭he restaurant鈥檚 sales have dropped by forty percent鈥� and believes fear of deportation is keeping diners away.
In San Antonio, El Pastor Es Mi Se帽or co-owner Alex Sarmiento said that 鈥減eople are staying home more,鈥� adding that the political climate leaves many feeling on edge.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about laws or policies. It鈥檚 about people we care about,鈥� Sarmiento said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 seeing our parents work their whole lives and still feeling like they have to watch their backs. It鈥檚 hoping that close family and friends don鈥檛 grow up hearing they don鈥檛 belong.
NPR: Trump鈥檚 rollback of immigration programs has removed work authorization from over a million immigrants from countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, leaving industries like manufacturing and food production scrambling to fill vacancies. The cancellations, which also target Temporary Protected Status for some groups, face court challenges but have already forced companies like GE Appliances to drop affected workers. The administration says the programs were abused, while critics argue they protected people fleeing violence and instability.
Tom Torres, a mechanic for Kraft Heinz in Holland, Mich., who serves as the local union president, says he’s sat in on more than a dozen human resources meetings where employees have been told they’re no longer eligible to work. He’s watched people in the company struggle to deliver the message with tears in their eyes.聽
“It’s killing me, because I’m watching them walk out. I know these people because I work with them every day.”
Get Involved
- Secure your spot today for ABIC鈥檚 Secure America鈥檚 Workforce 鈥� October Fly-In and Policy Summit in Washington, DC.
- Join one of ABIC’s Councils of 100 and let your voice be heard with your peers – . The Council of 100 is a coalition of top business leaders working to advance common-sense workforce solutions.
- Share your story: If your business is interested in engaging with the press as part of ABIC or amplifying your story on social media, take this to let us know your preferences.聽
- We’re hiring! ABIC is looking for a new Field Director to help lead our national campaigns. Learn more and apply here.
Key Employer Resources:
- DACA Legal Update
- A new court ruling has major implications for DACA recipients and their employers. Learn how to support your workforce, ensure compliance, and stay ahead of changes:
ABIC in the news. . .
- Politico: (8/8/2025)
- Rapid Response Podcast: (8/6/25)
- Washington Times: (8/1/25)
- ABC15: (7/30/25)
- Equipment World: (7/28/25)
- Axios: (7/18/25)
- WSOC TV: (7/18/25)
- Barron’s: (7/17/25)
- Washington Post: (7/13/25)
- WRAL: (7/17/25)
- El Restaurante: (7/9/25)听
- El Restaurante: (7/9/25)听
- Politico, 鈥�, (7/8/25)
- NPR, , (7/8/25)
- Newsweek,
- Tampa Bay Times: (06/27/25)
- Newsweek: (06/27/25)