Not too long ago, a letter was sent to Congress from over 100 mayors asking for immigration reform. The letter was focused on the positive economic impact that immigration reform would have on this nation. That letter was powerful. Another letter has recently been sent to Congress and this time it was signed by more than 600 business with locations throughout the U.S.
This letter was signed by some heavy hitters. It included Facebook, Apple, Inc., Google, Intel, and the list goes on. This letter, dated February 25, 2014, urged congress to sign the immigration reform bill into law.
In total, 636 organizations said that they were “encouraged by the House Republican Conference's review of ‘Standards for Immigration Reform.'” These businesses are asking for both Congress and the Administration to continue to move forward with immigration reform and to use the Standards as “guideposts for action this year.” That's right - this year. These businesses do not want to wait until 2015 or beyond for immigration reform to be decided.
The authors of the letter go on to write that they are “united in the belief that we can and must do better for our economy and country by modernizing our immigration system.” Those who signed this letter clearly asked for a swift immigration reform decision, but they were also aware of the fact that this legislation must be done responsibly in order to achieve a proper result. Immigration reform must set clear guidelines regarding pathways to citizenship as well as outlining procedures that will be in place to “protect and complement our U.S. workforce.”
When the mayors sent Congress their letter, there was one clear sentiment: avoiding immigration reform is not an option. There was a similar feeling in the letter authored by the businesses: “[f]ailure to act is not an option.” It's obvious by this most recent letter that these businesses realize that immigration reform is a smart business decision. It's not just a moral obligation, but it will, in fact, lead to a positive impact on our nation's economy. As stated in the letter, “immigration reform is an essential element of a jobs agenda and economic growth. It will add talent, innovation, investment, products, businesses, jobs, and dynamism to our economy.”
We have now seen politicians, mayors, businesses and everyday citizens requesting Congress to make a decision about immigration reform. Nothing will be solved without some type of resolution. It is imperative that this conversation remains current and we cannot allow politicians in Congress to push immigration reform to the back burner.
Do you think that this letter will help provide for a more swift immigration reform decision? Do you think we could see change in 2014?