ABIC: “With our nation urgently needing broad immigration reform to address labor shortages and inflation, the Senate must disregard the parliamentarian’s decisions and retake control of legislating.”
WASHINGTON, DC — The bipartisan American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) urges the Senate to disregard the Senate Parliamentarian’s rulings against the third in a series of proposals to include immigration reform in the pending budget reconciliation bill. In the latest ruling, the parliamentarian ruled out of order temporary work permits and protections from deportation for about 7 million individuals. The Senate staffer previously rejected two proposals that would have allowed immigrants to apply for permanent legalization and citizenship.
The following is a statement by Florida businessman and ABIC Co-Chair Mike Fernandez:
“With our nation urgently needing broad immigration reform to address labor shortages and inflation, a lone, short-sighted Senate staffer has disqualified immigration work permits from being included in the Build Back Better budget bill. It’s time for Senate leaders to retake control of the legislative process.
“As a CEO, I hire people who advise me. I accept the good advice and I reject the advice that is fundamentally flawed. The Senate has received some bad advice that needs to be disregarded.
“We have gone from the possibility of making permanent legalization and citizenship available to about 8 million Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential workers including farmworkers, to nothing. The parliamentarian’s decisions on three separate proposals were wrong and the Senate should not let that stand.
“The Senate must ensure that immigrants who help sustain our economy are allowed to apply for permanent or temporary protections from deportation. Our nation’s chronic labor shortages, along with the need to remove the threat of deportation and stabilize the lives of immigrant families and workers demand immediate attention.
“Voters are fatigued by inaction, as demonstrated in ABIC’s poll in 11 battleground states in 70 congressional districts, conducted by Democratic and Republican pollsters.
By a 3-to-1 margin, they supported a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, essential workers, and farmworkers, as part of the budget reconciliation bill. Notably, the support included 2020 Trump voters, with only 17% of them favoring deportation of immigrants.
“For all of these reasons, it is important that senators continue to explore ways to get immigration reform accomplished now. The budget reconciliation bill is the only option currently available to move immigration reform, and it must be done.”