CHICAGO, August 15, 2025 - Food-away-from-home advocates ranging from the James Beard Foundation to several state restaurant associations are joining forces to secure permission for the employment of immigrant food workers.
The Seat the Table coalition argues that the supply chain will be severely disrupted without the creation of a permitting program for immigrant employees who lack permission to work in the United States but are otherwise law-abiding. Those employees range from farm workers to bartenders, according to the group.
“Work permits won’t solve every problem,” reads a letter the coalition is asking members to sign and send to their Congressional representatives. “But they are a practical, immediate step that allows willing employees to contribute legally, and gives struggling businesses a fighting chance to stay open.”
Those businesses at risk include family-run farms, vineyards and trucking companies as well as restaurants, bars and hotels, the letter asserts. It notes that the hospitality businesses in that group are already 1 million workers short of the workforce they need to meet demand.
A viewable version of the letter is available here.
Current signees of the letter include the restaurant associations of Texas, Illinois, the Independent Restaurant Coalition, the Latino Restaurant Association, the Oregon Winegrowers Association, and the California Farm Bureau.
Seat the Table is inviting other parties in the pathway from farm to table to join the cause.
Employers at every stage of that line have reported an erosion of their workforces in the wake of the federal government’s efforts to curb illegal immigration. Some of the lost employees were detained as part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement effort to roundup and deport undocumented immigrants. Others on the payroll have stayed away because of fears they could be swept into the enforcement effort.
President Trump raised the prospect several weeks ago of creating some type of exemption for workers in industries that are struggling to meet their labor needs. He specifically mentioned the agriculture and hotel industries.
But no follow-up effort has yet to follow. Media reports indicated that the White House dropped the plan after Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller objected, but those accounts were never confirmed by official spokespersons.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.