Should Idaho’s lawmakers step in on immigration issues in the state?
The leaders of Idaho industries that rely on foreign workers have urged state legislators to stop trying to fix the nation’s immigration system.
Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, praised President Donald Trump, saying he understood the need to fix the country’s immigration system and needed space to work on a solution. Idaho lawmakers have introduced policies “that would be counterproductive to Trump’s vision,” Naerebout said during a press conference Friday to disclose the findings of a study on foreign labor in Idaho.
In particular, he pointed to Idaho lawmakers’ attempts to require E-Verify in 2026 and previous years. E-Verify is a federal website to check employee work eligibility. But the website can’t confirm if someone’s documents belong to them, according to previous Statesman reporting.
“This is a federal issue, not a state issue,” Naerebout said. “The Constitution does not afford the state the ability to solve this problem.”
Idaho lawmakers in recent years have tried to attack illegal immigration from multiple angles but have run into legal issues. In 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho sued over parts of new laws, one creating state-level immigration crimes and a second preventing immigrants from using public services such as receiving HIV medication. Judges swiftly blocked the contested portions of each law.
Sen. Todd Lakey, R-Nampa, has nonetheless introduced a bill to strengthen the state-level immigration crimes law.
Two representatives in 2025 also tried to create a year-round agricultural guest worker program, for which there is no federal equivalent. However, Gov. Brad Little and Naerebout questioned its legality, and the bill did not get a hearing.
Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood, tried to bring a bill in 2025 to prohibit concealing, harboring and shielding undocumented immigrants, but the bill died after immigration lawyers, the Ada County sheriff and a representative of the Catholic Church in Idaho opposed the legislation.
However, Hawkins and other legislators appeared at an unofficial Capitol event on Feb. 3 to unveil a slate of immigration proposals. That includes bringing the harboring or shielding bill back, according to previous Statesman reporting.
Since then, Hawkins and one other lawmaker have introduced immigration bills to track immigrant crime data, require every law enforcement agency in the state to enter a 287(g) cooperation agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and collect the immigration status of Idaho students.
An Idaho education official previously told the Statesman that schools can’t ask about students’ immigration status under federal law.
Representatives from Idaho’s construction, dairy and other agricultural industries discussed a report Friday showing that deporting undocumented Idaho workers would be disruptive to Idaho’s economy. They said Trump had spoken about wanting a comprehensive immigration system.
The report was prepared by two economists and sponsored by the Idaho Alliance for a Legal Workforce, which represents Idaho employers. The study looked at the short-term consequences of deporting workers in Idaho.
“The status quo is not acceptable for any of us,” Naerebout said.
