There have been a host of questions about agricultural workers and immigration enforcement, leading to concerns, rumors, and fear. Jon DeVaney is president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association.

“The messages out of the White House in the last few days have been that they recognize that the agricultural workforce is critical to producing food domestically, and the president has indicated that they’re wanting to do something soon about providing some opportunity to get those workers into some kind of legal status.”

DeVaney added that while it’s still not clear what that status would look like, it’s nice to know the White House is taking the concerns of the farming community seriously.

“The recognition at the highest levels that the agricultural workforce is critical is appreciated, and we look forward to hearing more about what we might be able to do to ensure that, as immigration enforcement remains a national priority, the need to maintain a critical workforce and their importance to the whole society is recognized.”