The American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) recently played a significant role in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Immigration Conference. ANLA president Bob Dolibois used this opportunity to advocate "immediate immigration reform."

The conference's emphasis was on border security, INS problems, and possible biometric technology solutions. Dolibois outlined the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform's (ACIR's) legislative activities and called for the business community to unite if immigration reform reaches the agriculture industry first, stating that the immigration concerns of other industries would benefit.

Dolibois also hosted a question-and-answer session wherein he cleared up some misconceptions about the H-2A program, outlined the program's many worker benefits such as the AEWR, transportation, and free housing.

ANLA reports a significant positive response to Dolibois' presentation among Bush Administration officials and other conference attendees. The full text of his speech is available at www.anla.org in the "What's New" section.