(KMAland) — Migrant worker advocates in Nebraska have written a letter to the state’s congressional delegation urging them to initiate an update to the nation’s immigration laws, some of which date to the 1970s.

They say the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented people thwarts efforts for them to earn a living, contribute to Nebraska’s economy and find a path to citizenship.

The Director of Nebraska Appleseed’s Immigrants & Communities program, Darcy Tromanhauser, said sudden deportation efforts will will disrupt Nebraska workplaces, separate families, and cause economic and labor ripple effects that hurt local communities.

“We need better ways to transition from temporary to permanent status,” said Tromanhauser, “for neighbors, friends, family members who have been part of local communities for 20, 30 or more years who don’t have a way to apply for residency.”

Nebraska Appleseed and other members of the Nebraska Alliance for Thriving Communities are calling on Nebraska’s Washington lawmakers to support the Promise and Dream Act, which would create stability for DACA and Temporary Protected Status immigrants.

The legislation has been pending for 24 years.

Tromanhauser said the alliance is also calling on lawmakers to overhaul long outdated immigration laws, which she said have had a chilling effect on migrants’ ability to feel safe while trying earn a living in Nebraska, largely because the rules date to the 1970s.

“That would be like saying we’d all have to go back to 1970’s landlines and roads filled with potholes that haven’t been fixed since the 1970s,” said Tromanhauser. “So, our immigration laws are way out of date and that doesn’t service Nebraska communities or any of our interests.”

Tromanhauser said more than 70 organizations across Nebraska are pushing for updated immigration laws, but face a political tide of opposition in Washington.

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