OMAHA — Three of Nebraska’s top GOP governor candidates laid out visions Wednesday for the state’s future workforce, including how they would involve more marginalized people, from legal immigrants to felons being released from prison.

Conklin Co. CEO Charles Herbster, State Sen. Brett Lindstrom and former State Sen. Theresa Thibodeau discussed the need to find more workers, during a 90-minute forum hosted by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and Industry and KETV.

All three candidates discussed the need for improved processes for legally immigrating to the United States, as well as the importance of making sure Nebraska welcomes "vetted" refugees.

“I know that we need workers,” Herbster said after the forum. “And I know that there are many of those people that come from other countries who are actually willing to do the work that many people born in this country are not wanting to do.”

Lindstrom said he wants Nebraska to help the federal government in their improvement of the federal E-Verify system which is used to verify the citizenship status of employees in Nebraska. He pointed to 60,000 unfilled jobs in the state.

“I think there’s a disconnect between the things that we’re trying to promote versus the result that we want to have,” Lindstrom said. “And that’s the way that I’ll be different in that and changing the perception.”

Herbster and Thibodeau emphasized the need for being more strict on illegal immigration. Despite immigrant advocates saying it is unfair to blame immigrants for increased crime, both Herbster and Thibodeau pointed to U.S.-Mexico border crossings for increased drug use and human trafficking in Nebraska.

Thibodeau disagrees with the idea that those crossing the southern border illegally are attempting to escape crime and poverty. Instead, she said many bring it with them.

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