The immigration crackdown in Minnesota is being felt throughout the state. “Food processing is really dependent on immigrant labor,” said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “What’s concerning to me is a lot of the folks have their I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) or their H-2A, but they’re being stopped and that’s a disruptive thing to a lot of businesses.” In Petersen’s view, this situation has the potential to slow down the entire agricultural supply system. “We have a just-in-time delivery system, so a plant going down or being slow for a day backs everything up.”
