IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama today commending him on his election victory and encouraging him to choose Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to serve in his administration as Secretary of Department of Homeland Security.
First, on behalf of Western Growers, let me once again congratulate you on your tremendous election victory. We look forward to working with your administration on behalf of our members who provide the majority of America’s fresh fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts — the best medicine in the world.
Secondly, I am writing to commend your consideration of Governor Janet Napolitano to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As governor of a border state, Gov. Napolitano has an “on-the-ground,” practical understanding of immigration policy and border security. Indeed, over the years, Western Growers, whose members primarily operate in Arizona and California, has worked with the Governor on myriad immigration related policy issues including the Arizona employer sanctions law, port-of-entry improvements enhancing the flow of legal workers who commute daily from Mexico to our members’ fields here in the U.S., and streamlining of the H-2A agricultural guest worker program.
Moreover, Gov. Napolitano brings significant law enforcement experience from her stint as Arizona’s first female attorney general, experience that will serve your administration and this country very well in these precarious times. Finally, Gov. Napolitano possesses a moderate temperament that makes her an effective leader while fostering bipartisanship. In sum, I am certain that Gov. Napolitano will make an excellent Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and on behalf of our members I strongly encourage you to appoint her to this position in your cabinet.
Western Growers is an agriculture trade association whose nearly 3,000 members grow, pack and ship ninety percent of the fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in California and seventy five percent of those commodities in Arizona. This totals about half of the nation’s fresh produce.
SOURCE Western Growers Association
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