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The Latest from the ABIC Network
Hosted by Thoroughbred Advocates, ABIC, Seasonal Employment Alliance
On the eve of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown following the Kentucky Derby, ABIC partnered with thoroughbred advocates, and the Seasonal Employment Alliance, for an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to legendary trainer H. Graham Motion鈥檚 operations. Motion trains approximately 200 horses for a group of owners, including Terry Finley, President of West Point Thoroughbreds. Finley provided Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD) with an overview of his horse racing business including the 26 H-2B and immigrant workers who help run the stable. Congressman Harris emphasized the importance of reliable labor across industries, including horse racing
“This is a workforce issue, not an immigration issue,鈥� Congressman Harris said, noting his efforts to educate his colleagues in the House Freedom Caucus.鈥� He added that 鈥淚 think the realization is going to be that as the (Trump) administration tightens down on illegal immigration that we have to actually plus up legal workforce.” Harris told BloodHorse.
Motion鈥檚 horses are stabled at the 7,000 acre Fair Hill International equestrian center, a short drive from Pimlico. The facility currently hosts three trains and plays an essential role in the Mid-Atlantic racing circuit.
Questions About Temporary Protected Status Changes?
Join Our TPS State of Play and Advocacy Webinar
May 29 | 1:00 PM ET
If your workforce includes employees on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) – a legal but temporary work permit dating back to the 1980s, don鈥檛 miss this important webinar. We鈥檒l provide an overview of the current state of the TPS program and share ways you can get involved to strengthen this existing legal work permit program.
On the call, we will:
- Provide a briefing on the current state of TPS and what鈥檚 at stake for employers.
- Coordinate outreach efforts to engage business leaders in support of stabilizing this critical workforce.
- Share messaging and talking points for effective communication with elected officials.
- Answer your questions and equip you with tools to take impactful action.
Today, more than 570,000 TPS holders are active in the U.S. workforce on temporary and legal work permits鈥攊ncluding 95,000 in leisure and hospitality, 90,000 in construction, 85,000 in business services, 80,000 in wholesale and retail trade, and 70,000 in manufacturing.聽
These workers are essential to keeping key industries running.
Your voice is essential.
Please RSVP to join us:
Save the Date: October 21鈥�23, 2025 | Washington, D.C.
Join ABIC and business leaders from across the country in the nation鈥檚 capital for our Secure America鈥檚 Workforce Policy Summit and Legislative Visits. This is our biggest event of the year鈥攄on鈥檛 miss your chance to shape the conversation on immigration and workforce policy.
Sign up for updates to be the first to receive travel info, speaker announcements, and registration details.
News Briefing:
, Senate Vows Edits
House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, passed a multitrillion-dollar tax break package Thursday with a 215-214 vote after an all-night session. The bill would deliver on several of President Trump鈥檚 campaign pledges, including new tax breaks and increased spending on military and border enforcement.
The bill includes $350 billion in new spending, $140 billion or 40% of which is slated for immigration and border security measures.
See a breakdown of some of the bill鈥檚 top allotments on immigration and the borders below:
Negotiations over the bill are far from over as it heads to the Senate and . Several of the bill鈥檚 provisions, including cuts to Medicaid, a debt ceiling hike, changes to food assistance (SNAP) and high spending have been hotly debated this week within the party.
The bill also limits SNAP to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) had pushed to remove a provision that forbids legal refugees from accessing SNAP benefits.
- $1,000 fee to apply for asylum
- $550 fee for work authorization applications, with renewals required every six months
- $3,500 fee for sponsoring unaccompanied children without legal status
- $1,000 fee for undocumented individuals paroled into the U.S.
- $500 fee for applying for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
Disney is the first major employer to act on the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision upholding the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans. The company placed 45 affected employees on unpaid leave with benefits, citing legal compliance while it navigates the situation鈥檚 complexities.
ABIC estimates TPS holders add $31 billion to the U.S. economy through wages and spending power.
who were granted Temporary Protected Status by President Biden in 2023 for humanitarian reasons. Biden had extended their protections through October 2026, but the new ruling puts their legal status at risk.
According to a Clarify Capitol report, 20% of business owners have lost employees due to deportations, visa denials, or ICE raids in the past year. As a result, 69% say they鈥檝e lost customers, and nearly half are considering relocating to states with looser immigration policies. Additionally, 72% have cut hours, delayed growth, or closed locations due to hiring challenges. The study was based on responses from more than 1,000 business owners.
“The big names on Wall Street aren’t the ones feeling the heat from these immigration crackdowns. It’s the 99 percent, the small businesses that keep America running.鈥�
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group
Thomas Wenski, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, writes in an op-ed that a Trump proposal to limit birthright citizenship based on ancestry is unconstitutional and harmful. He warns it would create a stateless underclass and urges upholding the 14th Amendment鈥檚 promise of citizenship for all born in the U.S.
Congress is considering the bipartisan immigration reform bill, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, reintroduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). The legislation aims to protect undocumented agricultural workers from deportation and help stabilize the farm labor force by providing employers with more reliable access to eligible workers.
This is the fourth time the Farm Workforce Modernization Act has been introduced. While the bill passed the House in 2019 and 2021, it stalled in the Senate. Newhouse believes a drop in southern border crossings and strong advocacy from farmers highlighting the business need for a stable workforce could help gain Republican support.
鈥淔armers are letting their members of Congress know the importance of getting this done.鈥�-Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA)
Industry Spotlight:
The National Milk Producers Federation immigrants make up 51% of the industry’s workforce, and the farms that rely on them produce 79% of U.S. milk. Leaders in the industry are hoping the focus on immigration by the Trump administration could lead to reforms:
“My hope is that we can avoid the loss of employees, ICE on farms, and that we have an opportunity to put a resolution in before we get there,” said Doug Chapin, a dairy farmer in central Michigan and chair of the Michigan Milk Producers Association board.
Chris Galen, senior vice president of membership services and strategic initiatives with the National Milk Producers Federation shared his perspective with
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鈥淥ur message continues to be that we know that there are undocumented workers throughout the economy, and if they were to suddenly disappear, that would cause food shortages in the food system in other aspects of the economy, as well as long-term challenges as well,鈥� Galen said.
Enforcement and Deportation
鈥淭he futures of coffee farmers and these workers are tied together, whether we like it or not鈥f it dies, I don鈥檛 know how we come back.鈥� -Jeanne Kapela, state lawmaker and coffee grower
Federal immigration agents have been conducting operations on a rural Hawaiian island, home to 200,000 people, as part of the Trump administration鈥檚 expanded crackdown. Though only a few dozen arrests have been made, the presence of ICE has spread fear throughout the community, targeting even those with no criminal records.
IRS criminal investigators participated in an immigration raid at a Kent, Wash. beverage company, resulting in 17 arrests. The operation marks one of the first enforcements involving the IRS since the Trump administration made an agreement with the IRS that allows the agency to share information from employee tax records with immigration officials.
Homeland Security is ramping up enforcement at immigration courts nationwide, testing new legal tools under Trump鈥檚 administration to carry out arrests. The Associated Press reported detentions and arrests at immigration courthouses in Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York, Seattle, Chicago and Texas.
More than 60 undocumented immigrants departed Houston on a free flight Monday as part of the Trump administration鈥檚 new enforcement effort, which offers $1,000 and transport home for people who voluntarily deport. Homeland Security warned those who don鈥檛 self-deport will face fines, arrest, and a lifetime reentry ban. The first flight took individuals to Honduras and Colombia, as Trump pushes toward his goal of 1 million deportations this year.
Get Involved
- 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.
- 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:
ABIC in the news. . .
- The Week, , (5/19/25)
- Newslooks, , (5/20/25)
- Bloodhorse, , (5/16/25)
- NPR, , (5/19/25)
- Los Angeles Times, (5/13/25)
- Newsweek: (5/9/25)
- New Americas, , (5/8/25)
- Bluebook, , (5/8/25)
- Newsweek:(5/2/25)
- Courier-Journal (5/1/25)
- Bloodhorse: (5/1/25)
- Thoroughbred Daily News: (5/1/25)
- Horse Racing Nation: (5/1/25)
- DRF: (5/1/25)
- Thoroughbred Daily News: (5/1/25)
- WDRB: (4/30/25)
- NPR: (4/22/25)
- TexasGOPVote, (4/17/25)
- AgDaily, (4/11/25)
- Newsweek: (4/11/25)
- Newsweek: (4/10/25)
- NBC: (4/10/25)
- Newsmax: (4/10/25)
- Latin Times: (4/9/25)
- The New York Times: (3/31/25)
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