Immigration is on the ballot in battleground states where control of Congress will be decided. But it’s not so much about visas or labor shortages. Mostly, it’s about the U.S.-Mexico border where a record number of migrant crossings this year has intensified the political rancor over immigration. Immigration is a top talking point for Republican candidates on the campaign trail who call for hard-line policies against immigration. It wasn’t always the polarizing issue it is today. But with the rise of Donald Trump and ‘build the wall,’ politics changed. Americans are feeling the effects of a farmworker workforce shortage, which has driven higher food costs, along with a supply-chain weakened by the pandemic and war in Ukraine. Forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show a food crisis could worsen in 2023 because of a lower supply domestically. Next year will be the first year in U.S. history when the country will import more food than it produces. "Immigration reform is something we've been working on for decades, and lawmakers keep kicking the can down the road," said Lisa Graybill, farmer and co-owner of Graywood Farms in Pennsylvania. "We're obviously not getting comprehensive reform. The system is broken. We can’t get that. Can we at least get an immigration bill for the ag sector so we can have food security?" #immigration #gop #democrats #midterms #economy