February 2025 - 29

Kristi Noem was nominated to
be Secretary of the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS). She
is the sitting governor of the state
of South Dakota and a former four
term member of Congress holding
South Dakota's at large seat. She
is also a farmer and a rancher and
attended South Dakota State.
As Secretary of DHS, Governor
Noem would be responsible for
protecting the integrity of U.S.
borders. She would oversee
Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)
and Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE). CBP enforces
immigration laws within 100 miles of
U.S. borders while ICE is responsible
for interior enforcement. Noem
would also oversee U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS).
USCIS is responsible for approving
visas in the H-2A program.
Given the incoming Administration's
campaign promises regarding
deportations of individuals unlawfully
in the country, Noem could be
very busy in her new role. It is
estimated that nearly 1 million
U.S. farmworkers are here in
unauthorized status which could
means the existing ag labor shortage
in the U.S. could be exacerbated.
NCAE will be asking the new
DHS Secretary to digitize visa
processing to make the H-2A
program more efficient.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has
been nominated to be Secretary
of State. He is the state's senior
senator and is a graduate of the
University of Florida and University
of Miami School of Law. His parents
emigrated to the U.S. from Cuba
in 1956. Senator Rubio also served
in the Florida legislature and was
elected its Speaker of the House.
In 2013, Rubio was part of the
bipartisan " Gang of Eight " senators
that crafted comprehensive
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VEGETABLEGROWERSNEWS.COM | 29
immigration reform legislation. The
then freshman supported legislation
that overwhelmingly passed the
Senate, but was never brought to the
floor of the House. NCAE has worked
with Senator Rubio in the past and we
look forward to working with him and
his team in the State Department.
NCAE is hopeful that with the
changing of the guard here in D.C., ag
employers will see some regulatory
relief from the flood of regulations
imposed by the past administration.
Out with the old and in with the new.
Michael Marsh has led the National
Council of Agricultural Employers
since 2017. A Wyoming native and
certified public accountant, Marsh
worked for a CPA firm with farm and
ranch clients investigating fraud. He
was director of finance for the Almond
Board of California for 7 years and for
15 years was CEO of the largest U.S.
dairy producer trade association.
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February 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2025
