With some signs in Congress that immigration reform may happen this year, Landscape Management and the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) partnered on an immigration sentiments survey among members of the landscape and lawn care industry.
The survey was fielded online in February and March, garnering 536 responses with a +/-5 percent margin of error and a 95 percent confidence interval.
Federal fix?
It’s clear members of the landscape industry believe immigration policy needs to be fixed at the federal level—81 percent of respondents say so (see chart). That may be because nearly two-thirds of respondents say they have trouble finding and keeping workers.
Other answers aren’t as definitive. For example, on the question, “Should illegal immigrants already here be able to legally work here?” respondents were nearly split, with 45 percent of them saying “yes,” 42 percent of them saying “no” and 13 percent of them unsure.
Support for road map to citizenship
On a question about an immigration policy that includes a road map to citizenship for immigrants who already live and work in the U.S. and aspire to be citizens, landscape industry members’ response—75 percent in support (see chart)—mirrors the general public’s sentiments from a Pew Research Center/USA Today survey last June. That poll found 71 percent of U.S. adults in support of a way for undocumented immigrants to stay in the country legally, if they meet certain requirements.
Despite 99 percent of respondents in our survey saying it’s important they have an all-legal workforce (see chart), 39 percent of them also say they believe some of their workers’ I-9 forms may be backed up with falsified paperwork.
On E-Verify, H-2B use
More than a third of respondents use E-Verify, the federal government’s web-based system that confirms employment eligibility, the survey shows.
- 19 percent use E-Verify because their states require it.
- 17 percent use E-Verify voluntarily.
- 64 percent do not use E-Verify.
Use of the H-2B seasonal guest-worker visa program came in at 13 percent. Seven percent of respondents indicated they do not use the program currently but did so prior to 2010; 80 percent of respondents do not use the program.
Political involvement
While most people (81 percent) say they would reach out to their senators and U.S. representatives to ask them to fix the immigration system now, if given the chance, the No. 1 reason respondents who say they wouldn’t contact their legislators is they “don’t think it would help.” Here’s how those responses broke down (survey takers could select more than one response):
- “I don’t have the time.” — 15 percent;
- “I don’t know how to.” — 5 percent;
- “I don’t think it would help.” — 56 percent;
- “I’m concerned it would expose my business to government scrutiny.” — 11 percent; and
- Other — 23 percent.
Answers given for “other” include variations of having bigger issues to contact legislators about, not being too concerned with immigration specifically, not having faith in government enforcement of new immigration laws and not wanting to get involved in politics.
