How the mushroom industry reveals our broken immigration system

Studio 2 hosted a conversation illustrating how the labor needs of the local mushroom industry highlight the flaws of our federal immigration policy.

Air Date: September 5, 2024 12:00 pm

This is a mushroom worker at a farm in Kennett Square.

With immigration a key issue in the 2024 presidential election, Studio 2 hosted a live conversation on the topic at the Kennett Library with insight from stakeholders in southern Chester County, where the labor needs of the local mushroom industry highlight the flaws of our federal immigration policy.

Guests:
-Zeke Hernandez is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and author of the new book The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers.

-Nancy Ayllón-Ramírez is an immigration attorney based in Kennett Square. She came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 6. Her dad worked for decades in the local mushroom industry and she uses that first-hand experience to help her clients navigate a wide variety of immigration-related legal issues.

–Guy Ciarrocchi is the former CEO of the Chester County Chamber of Commerce. He was the Republican nominee for the 6th Congressional District race in 2022 and he’s now a senior fellow at Commonwealth Foundation.

from left to right: Cherri Gregg, Nancy Ayllón-Ramírez, Zeke Hernandez, Guy Ciarrocchi, Avi Wolfman-Arent.

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