Idaho dairy farmers back immigrant legal services

CALDWELL – The Idaho Dairymen’s Association recently provided

the Community Council of Idaho's newly formed immigration legal services program, Familias Unidas, with a financial award to assist with services for migrant families.

Familias Unidas provides social and legal assistance to Idaho's immigrant workforce community.

IDA presented the group with a check for $60,000 during the dairy association’s annual November board meeting, which took place in Boise.

"We strongly believe in supporting these services which are important to the workforce on dairies throughout Idaho," said IDA CEO Rick Naerebout. "These families are important contributors to Idaho's economy and vital to our dairy industry.”

In a news release, IDA said the success and growth of Idaho's dairy industry was not achievable without the contributions of a predominantly Hispanic workforce.

“These hardworking, family-oriented individuals have toiled beside our dairy farm families for generations to help build the industry we are today,” Naerebout said.

He said IDA believes that one of its most impactful social initiatives revolves around promoting and protecting these talented employees and their families, and the dairy association’s contribution to CCI's immigration legal services program is the latest in its efforts to advocate on behalf of a very critical part of Idaho's community.

Community Council of Idaho's mission is to assist immigrant families by providing support and counseling in the following areas: housing, health clinic, a migrant and seasonal head start program, workforce preparation and immigration legal services.

"Familias Unidas is excited about this partnership with the IDA, which will allow us to expand and offer services to more individuals in the state,” said Brandy Perez, Familias Unidas’ program director. “We hope this is a first step to a long-lasting relationship with IDA and its employees.”

Immigrant-led households in Idaho paid $306.7 million in federal taxes and $188.6 million in state and local taxes last year, according to the American Immigration Council.

Additionally, immigrant entrepreneurs in Idaho account for 5.3 percent of all self-employed Idaho residents and generated $104.2 million in business income.