US Chamber campaigns for fixing broken legal immigration system

Calls for significantly increasing the annual quotas for employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas

The US Chamber of Commerce joined by over 430 business associations from all 50 states has launched a campaign calling upon Congress to fix the broken legal immigration system before the year’s end.

The LIBERTY Campaign — Legal Immigration and Border Enforcement Reform This Year — launched May 1 with a letter to members of Congress, calling on them to “address the crisis at our border and the critical workforce shortage.”

The LIBERTY Campaign is comprised of over 430 business associations from all 50 states, spanning a host of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, restaurants, hospitality, retail, construction, agriculture, engineering, and food processing, among others, according to a chamber statement.

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There are numerous areas that could form the basis of bipartisan compromises that would break the current gridlock, the letter suggested. These include:

— Increasing the human, physical, and technological resources along the southern border and at our ports of entry;
— Sensibly reforming our nation’s asylum laws;
— Instituting modern, effective, and efficient employment verification reforms;
— Significantly increasing the annual quotas for employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas;
— Expanding the scope of essential worker programs, specifically allowing employers to meet temporary labor needs in non-seasonal jobs;
— Creating new visa options for international students, entrepreneurs, and other high-demand workers to help American employers meet their critical workforce needs.

“Our elected officials keep talking about securing the border and fixing our broken legal immigration system, but nothing ever seems to get done. And the problems just get worse,” said Neil Bradley, US Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer.

“This coalition of over 430 business organizations has a simple message: inaction on border security and legal immigration is unacceptable.”

“As a nation we cannot afford to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We know there are reasonable compromises that can help secure our border and meet our workforce needs. We are pushing Congress and the administration to turn those compromises into law.” Bradley said.

The vast majority of American voters – both Republican and Democrat – support policies to strengthen border security and make it easier to immigrate to the US, the Chamber said citing a recent Fox News poll.

Three-quarters of voters favor making it easier to immigrate (73%) and increasing the number of border agents at the southern border (74%).

“The US Chamber is joined by more than 430 partners who are tired of Congress’ inaction to secure our borders and update our broken legal immigration system,” the letter stated.

“The state of our current immigration system imposes significant costs on American communities and our economy,” it said noting. “Companies are experiencing significant workforce shortages, and as a result, companies of all sizes and across a host of industries are wrestling with the chronic problems caused by their inability to adequately tap into global talent to meet their needs.”

These issues can only be addressed with congressional action, the letter affirmed.

Read: Indian Americans seek justice for high tech immigrants (October 28, 2022)Read: Indian Americans for employment-based green cards sans country caps (May 3, 2023)

Here is the text of the letter:
“Our nation’s border security and legal immigration systems are broken. Our legal immigration system has been outdated for decades, which has directly contributed to the significant security challenges on our southern border.

“Millions of people cross into the country illegally, while those seeking to lawfully enter the country struggle because our current laws are unresponsive to the dynamic needs of the American economy.

“These failures of our current immigration system impose significant costs on American communities and our economy. Companies are experiencing significant workforce shortages despite their sizable “investments in expanding US talent pipelines. As a result, companies of all sizes and across a host of industries are wrestling with the myriad problems caused by their inability to adequately tap into global talent to meet their workforce needs. These issues can only be addressed by congressional action.

“For too long, congressional efforts to confront America’s immigration challenges have stalled. Attempts to address these problems ‘comprehensively’ have all met with failure. What has shown more promise in attracting the bipartisan support that will be necessary to make law are efforts that seek to combine subsets of policies to improve border security with policies that will improve the operation of our legal immigration system.

‘When it comes to individual priorities, our organizations may differ, but the one thing we agree on is that another year of inaction on border security and legal immigration reform is not an acceptable option. The failure to enact reforms will deepen these current crises.

“That is why we have formed the Legal Immigration and Border Enforcement Reform This Year (LIBERTY) Campaign, to call upon Congress to enact measures this year to improve the border and our legal immigration system. Any progress that Congress can make can become the foundation for additional reforms.

“There are numerous areas that could form the basis of bipartisan compromises that would break the current gridlock, including:
Increasing the human, physical, and technological resources along the southern border and at our ports of entry;
Sensibly reforming our nation’s asylum laws;
Instituting modern, effective, and efficient employment verification reforms;
Significantly increasing the annual quotas for employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas;
Expanding the scope of essential worker programs, specifically allowing employers to meet temporary labor needs in non-seasonal jobs;
Creating new visa options for international students, entrepreneurs, and other high-demand workers to help American employers meet their critical workforce needs.

Read: It’s Time to Secure Our Borders and Expand Legal Immigration (May 9, 2023)

“Ultimately, elected officials will have to negotiate what can secure the necessary votes in both Houses of Congress and the President’s signature.

“We are committed to working with lawmakers who share our view that finding reasonable compromises is the only path forward to securing our border, averting further humanitarian crises, and meeting the economic needs of the United States.”