American Business Immigration Coalition, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Comité de 100 and Latino Donor Collaborative outline Congressional legislative priorities
CHICAGO, IL – Today, the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Comité de 100 and the Latino Donor Collaborative launched the Secure America’s Workforce campaign, which emphasizes the need to address labor shortages, streamline the immigration system and provide legal pathways for law-abiding, tax-paying immigrants contributing to America’s growth.
Secure America’s Workforce includes more than 300 business leaders from eight major organizations. The campaign calls on Congress and the Trump Administration to enact bipartisan, common-sense immigration solutions balancing security and economic strength.
The group will bring the campaign to Washington, D.C. for a Congressional fly-in to meet with Republicans and Democrats in Congress from March 25-27.
“We congratulate and thank President Trump for delivering on the key promise of securing the border. Now, Congress and the President must deliver on the second half of that promise, which is driving down prices for everyday Americans by securing our workforce. This means that long-term residents, our Dreamers, our farm workers, and our essential workers — many who have been here for decades — are able to work, pay taxes, and legally come out of the shadows. It also means that employers need access to a stable and reliable pipeline of talent across sectors to make our country globally competitive,” said Rebecca Shi, CEO of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC).
“Creating a better America is a bipartisan issue and we certainly need the workforce to do it. President Trump said he would secure the border and deport the criminals. We were happy to see progress on that, but we now ask for the support for legal pathways for our essential workers and Dreamers,” said Comité de 100 Co-Chair and CEO and President of Precision Task Group Massey Villareal.
“For over 100 years, immigrants have been key to building this country. We’re asking for everyone – Republicans and Democrats – to work together and bring common sense to Congress. Over 40 years have passed without meaningful immigration reform — and we’re asking Congress to please stick together and find a solution,” said Comité de 100 Co-Chair and Third Coast Hospitality President Sam Sanchez.
“There is no more important issue than fixing the broken immigration system. These are economic necessities to keep growing an economy that is not replicating at the level that it should, and we are not filling the jobs required to unleash prosperity. We are proud to work towards economic solutions to keep growing the economy and to support Congress to make sure that we change the law and fix it permanently,” said Ramiro Cavazos, President and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“The population of immigrants is invaluable — and Latinos in this country help fuel the economy at a level some people don’t realize. According to our latest data, if Latinos were a country, they would be the 5th largest economy in the world. Latinos contributed $3.6 trillion to the GDP — and Mexicans, in particular, contributed $2.1 trillion or 65 percent of that total,” said Ana Valdez, Executive President, Latino Donor Collaborative.
“In Salt Lake City, we’re seeing businesses who have already lost their entire workforce due to deportation fears. This is not sustainable. We have to look realistically at our goals for the American economy to make a solid deal that secures our border while building a sustainable workforce,” said Bob Worsley, ABIC Chairman, former Arizona state senator and CEO, NZ Legacy and ZenniHome.
“In Kent County, immigrants accounted for 38.2% of the area’s economic growth over the last decade and paid over $408 million in taxes. Immigrants don’t take tax dollars — they generate them. They don’t take jobs — they support them and keep our local companies here. They’re not a drain on the social safety net — they help support it,” said Andy Johnston, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Grand Rapids Chamber.
View the press conference HERE.