Trump has pledged mass deportations. How would that affect states that depend on agriculture?
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised mass deportation of undocumented migrants and said he will deport one million people in his first year in office.
In Idaho, analysts say this could have untold effects on the farming, dairy and construction industries that rely heavily on migrant labor.
Speaking on Idaho Matters last week, Constitutional Scholar and professor at College of Idaho McKay Cunningham said Trump’s promise may be more campaign trail bluster than actual policy, but should still be taken seriously.
“Logistically, it's unlikely that the incoming administration will be able to deport a million people in one year,” he said.
The American Immigration Council advocacy non-profit estimates deporting one million people would cost about $88 billion dollars a year. The Pew Research Center says there are roughly 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S.
“How will [deporting them] affect the US labor market, the food supply, and particularly in Idaho? How will it affect our ag industry?” Cunningham asked, noting the economic impact would go beyond the cost of deportations.
“It would be folly, however, to ignore the economic impacts, particularly with regard to industries that are very important in Idaho, including agriculture, construction, hospitality and milk,” he added.
About 40% of crop farmers in America are not authorized to work in the country, according to the latest data from the US Department of Agriculture. ”We already have a labor shortage with regard to agricultural workers,” Cunningham said, adding 90% of workers in Idaho dairies are foreign born.
The census bureau estimates roughly 35,000 people live in the state without documents. A study from the University of Idaho estimates that 10,000 of them work in agriculture, 10,000 work in the service industry and 5,000 are in construction.
“Unauthorized immigrants’ spending contributes to Idaho’s economy with every purchase that they make in the state. Unauthorized immigrants in Idaho had an estimated $570 million available for spending in 2019,” the study says, adding they pay about $26 million in taxes each year.
Diverse behavioral health workers needed in WA, state says
Washington state is trying to recruit more providers for several roles in behavioral health care.
Careers in behavioral health used to be more limited to those with advanced degrees.
That’s according to Deniele Fleming, the department chair and instructor for the Substance Use Disorder Program at Yakima Valley College.
But today there are more options for careers, including peer counseling. There are also apprenticeship programs through the state that allow for field experience while attending college on weekends.
"We're realizing that we need everyone to work collaboratively to address substance use in our communities," Fleming told NWPB.
To address the state’s behavioral health needs, especially in rural communities, Washington will need to bring more providers into the field, said Teresa Claycamp, the deputy director within the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery at the Health Care Authority.
"Our goal really was to educate Washingtonians that there are multiple paths regardless of your education level," she said.
Claycamp said the state has a vital need for behavioral health care providers, especially in rural communities like the Yakima Valley.
Representatives from the Washington State Health Care Authority also said the state is also working to recruit more bilingual and LGBTQ+ individuals into behavioral health care fields.
Kootenai County to hold meeting on changes at CDA Airport
Coeur d’Alene’s airport will be the subject of a town hall event this Thursday evening.
Kootenai County Commissioner Bruce Mattare called the meeting because he thinks it’s an under appreciated asset.
Most of the aviation world’s attention in the Inland Northwest focuses on Spokane International or Fairchild Air Force Base. But Pappy Boyington Field, named after the famous World War II aviator who was born in the Lake City, deserves its time in the spotlight too, Mattare said.
"It’s not unusual for us to have more traffic than Spokane International Airport and Boise Airport," he told SPR News.
Mattare said commercial service to and from Coeur d’Alene has been tried in the past, unsuccessfully. But there’s plenty of business from small commuter and corporate planes.
That allows the airport to be self sufficient. It also means Boyington Field needs an air traffic control tower on a year-round basis, he said. For years, it’s been served in the summer by a temporary tower, a trailer provided by the Forest Service.
"What I do see in the future is that the airport will serve as a hub, not only for services like Lifeflight," Mattare said. "The Forest Service plans on having a station there, a full-time station. So the community gets the benefit of these firefighting airplanes, very close by, as well as bringing high-paying jobs."
The airport is home to a company that performs aircraft maintenance and manufacturers that make parts for newer-generation fighter planes and electronics, he told SPR News.
Thursday’s town hall meeting will be held Thursday evening at 6 in the Kootenai County Administration Building.
Close WA races start to settle
Spokane County’s only contested county commissioner race is now over. Democratic challenger Molly Marshall on Friday conceded to incumbent Republican Commissioner Al French.
Marshall had narrowly trailed French since election night, and as of the most recent update from the Spokane County Auditor's office, French’s lead had expanded to 1,330 votes.
In a statement late Friday, Marshall thanked her supporters and promised to keep advocating for progress the issues that affect Spokane County residents.
"Together, we brought attention to vital issues like clean water, wildfire readiness, and infrastructure that supports safe and sustainable development," Marshall said.
Sal Mungia continues to lead Dave Larson in the race for Washington’s Supreme Court by less than a percent. After initially trailing, at the last update, Mungia has moved into the lead by less than 16,000 votes out of more than 3 million votes cast.
The race is non-partisan, but Larson, a municipal court judge in Federal Way who opposes vaccine mandates, is backed by the state GOP. Mungia is a trial lawyer who says he’d lobby Olympia and Congress for legal aid for low-income people. He’s endorsed by the outgoing governor, Jay Inslee, as well as eight of the nine sitting justices on the state high court.
In a local judicial race, it seems challenger Andrew Van Winkle may be replacing incumbent Spokane Superior Court Judge Timothy Fennessy. Van Winkle currently leads by more than 5% — more than 12,000 votes.
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Reporting contributed by Julie Luchetta, Rachel Sun, Doug Nadvornick and Owen Henderson.