Business Groups Launch Campaign to Overhaul Immigration Policies

US employers and trade groups Monday launched a new campaign pressing Congress for action on immigration legislation that would pair border security with more expansive employment-based immigration options.

The US Chamber of Commerce and more than 430 other businesses signed on to a letter telling lawmakers that they should sidestep yet another effort at comprehensive reform, and focus on a subset of measures that could get bipartisan support.

A potential bipartisan compromise on immigration, they said, could include more resources for security on the US-Mexico border, asylum law reforms, and a fix to employment verification requirements. The coalition also identified increased quotas for employment-based visas, new visa programs for entrepreneurs and international students, and temporary visas for nonseasonal industries as part of a potential agreement.

The campaign includes organizations representing the healthcare, agriculture, hospitality, and technology industries, among other groups. Employers in the US face serious worker shortages despite efforts to build new talent pipelines. Challenges they experience filling those gaps with international workers can only be addressed with new legislation, they said.

“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,” Neil Bradley, the chamber’s executive vice president and chief policy officer, said in a statement.

The business groups launched the new effort, dubbed the LIBERTY Campaign, after the Biden administration outlined plans to expand legal pathways for immigrants—including processing centers in Latin American countries—while toughening enforcement at the border. That strategy was released ahead of the May 11 expiration of Title 42 border restrictions put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

House Republicans, meanwhile, are moving towards a floor vote on a partisan border security package that would restart construction of a border wall, offer bonuses to Border Patrol agents, and resume the Trump era “Remain in Mexico” program for migrants seeking asylum in the US.

That legislation in its present form would go nowhere in a Democrat-controlled Senate. However, some deal-minded senators have said a House border package could be used as an opportunity to add other measures, such as relief for “dreamers” who came to the US unlawfully as children.

A smaller coalition of business, faith-based, and advocacy organizations announced a separate campaign for narrow immigration solutions one year ago. That effort, which also included the US Chamber, targeted permanent protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients, farm workers, and Temporary Protected Status recipients. It also called for investments in “smart border security” and infrastructure at ports of entry. Talks on a bipartisan immigration framework made little concrete progress before the Congressional session ended, however.

Unlike last year’s campaign, the letter from business groups Monday did not address long-term status for groups such as DACA recipients, who face a potential court ruling that would shut down the program offering work authorization to nearly 600,000 dreamers.